At the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, 16 kilometers west of Datong city in Shanxi province, built into the mountainside and stretching 1 kilometer east to west sit the Yungang Grottoes.

With 252 caves and 51,000 statues inside a carved area of 18,000 square meters, the Yungang Grottoes stand as an outstanding achievement in fifth and sixth century Buddhist cave art.

The Five Caves, with their strict unity of layout and design, were created by Tan Yao and remain masterpieces of Chinese Buddhist art's first peak period.

The Yungang Grottoes were added to the World Cultural Heritage List in December 2001.