Simsim Thousand-Buddha Cave

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The Simsim Thousand-Buddha Cave, located in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the northwest of China,40km away from the northeast of Kuche County, is one of the national key culture relic protection sites and the relics of Buddhism caves from the Jin Dynasty to Song Dynasty(4AD century to 10 AD century).

Simsim Thousand-Buddha Cave is mainly located in the mountain pass of Kuruktag Mountain, these caves are distributed in the cliffs which are on both sides of the brook in the east and west direction in a range whose diameter is 800m. Most caves have been destroyed and there are only 57 caves saved completely. These caves are in a horseshoe-shaped valley and they can be separated to five districts: the east, west, north, south and middle districts.There is a relic of a ground temple at the center of the middle district. There are 57 caves with numbers. The shapes of the cave are various, maintaining the complete caves of ancient Qiuci Kingdom and material of paintings. The themes of the paintings are mainly about marriage and Buddhism stories.People in the painting are usually sketched in the color of soilred. These paintings use gradation technique to express light, shade and tridimensional character, with gorgeous colors. Paintings in the latter period reflect the styles of the Han dynasty and Uighur.

The caves in Simsim Thousand-Buddha Cave are not as many as those in Kizil and Kumtura Rock Caves. However, it covers the whole process of the art development of Kizil Grottoes. It has important significance to understand and study the introduction of Buddhism and Buddhist arts, the development of Kizil Buddhism, and the evolution of the arts of the Buddhist caves and itssocial background. Simsim Thousand-Buddha Cave is a precious cultural relic left in the ancient Silk Road and it is also the fruit of the communication between Chinese and western cultures. It has uniquely local, ethnic and diverse characters. The Thousand-Buddha Cave occupies an important status in the treasure of Buddhist art of China, even the world.