"Caves of a Thousand Buddhas" under repair

The travel of Zhang Qian to the West, Mogao caves, 618-712 AD



BEIJING, June 9, 2009 -- A thousand-year-old cultural site "Caves of a Thousand Buddhas", near the city of Turpan in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is undergoing restoration work. The project is scheduled to be completed by June next year.

Many parts of the Buddha Caves had been threatened by collapse. The thousand-year-old relic site encompasses 83 caves that house Buddha sculptures and murals. The restoration project is costing 11.4 million yuan, or 1.6 million U.S. dollars.

It's the largest renovation of the site since l949 when the People's Republic of China was founded. A new wooden road will be built and be connected with the old one, meaning more caves will be open to visitors after the restoration is completed.
(Source: CCTV.com)


To learn more about these caves don't forget to visit the Online Tour from the Brtish Museum about the "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas".