Yulin Grottoes

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The Yulin Caves or Yulin Grottoes is a Buddhist cave temple site in Anxi County，Gansu Province，China.The site is located 100 km east of the oasis town of Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves.It takes its name from the eponymous elm trees lining the Yulin River，which flows through the site and separates the two cliffs from which the caves have been excavated.The 42 caves house have 250 polychrome statues and 4，200 Square meter of wall paintings，dating from the Tang Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty（7th to 14th centuries）.The site was among the first to be designated for protection in 1961 as a Major National Historical and Cultural Site.In 2008 the Yulin Grottoes were submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Chinese Section of the Silk Road.

Location

The Yulin Grottoes is situated on the banks of the Yulin River about 75 kilometers south and slightly east of An’xi，or about 100 kilometers east and slightly south of Dunhuang.