What is special about the city of Dunhuang?
Dunhuang was the first trading town reached by foreign merchants entering Chinese-administered territory from the west. The city is the site of the renowned Mogao Caves, which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Why was Dunhuang an important city?
As such, Dunhuang played a key role in the passage of Silk Road trade to and from China, and over the course of the first millennium AD, was one of the most important cities to grow up on these routes. The city also lay on the pilgrim route from Tibet to the sacred Mount Wutai.
What is the significance of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves to the Silk Roads?
The caves are known as the Mogao (peerless) Grottoes. From the 4th to the 14th century, Dunhuang bore witness to intense religious, commercial, and cultural exchange along the trade routes linking the East and West, known collectively as the Silk Road.
What was found in the Dunhuang caves?
A large number of documents dating from 406 to 1002 were found in the cave, heaped up in closely packed layers of bundles of scrolls. In addition to the 1,100 bundles of scrolls, there were also over 15,000 paper books and shorter texts, including a Hebrew penitential prayer (selichah) (see Dunhuang manuscripts).
Why did many Chinese merchants only travel as far as Dunhuang on the Silk Road?
Many Chinese merchants traveled only as far as Dunhuang on the Silk Road, basically for the following two reasons. 1) During those years, Dunhuang becomes an important hub place for trade in the Silk Road, where people met to commerce all kinds of products. 2) Dunhuang in the middle of some crossing paths.
Why the Mogao caves were built in the city of Dunhuang?
The Buddhist monks from the West stopped here to spread Buddhism, translated Buddhist scriptures, set up temples. Therefore, Dunhuang had become a place where Buddhism was flourishing, which contributed to the construction and development of Mogao grottoes.
When were the Dunhuang caves built?
It was first constructed in 366AD and represents the great achievement of Buddhist art from the 4th to the 14th century. 492 caves are presently preserved, housing about 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 painted sculptures.
Who lived in Dunhuang?
Dunhuang was founded as a Chinese garrison town over 2,000 years ago. Many Chinese settlers moved there to farm the land and provide supplies for the Chinese armies.
How many caves are there in Dunhuang?
492
A thousand years of art There are about 492 extant cave-temples ranging in date from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries. During the thousand years of artistic activity at Dunhuang, the style of the wall paintings and sculptures changed.
What kind of music was popular in Dunhuang?
Dunhuang music refers to the folk and religious music once popular at Dunhuang, a trading hub on the Silk Road during the Tang dynasty. As well as the depictions of musicians in cave paintings, musical manuscripts have been unearthed in Dunhuang.
Where was Dunhuang located on the Silk Road?
Dunhuang is an oasis surrounded by desert and gravel in northwestern China. It was the main (and only) gateway to and from China on the route, known as the Silk Road, between China, Western Asia and the sub-continent of India.
Who is the founder of Gaudeamus Dunhuang?
According to Leonie Ki Man-fung, the founder of Gaudeamus Dunhuang, the Unesco World Heritage site at Dunhuang is a treasure trove of information on the vibrant music scene in ancient China and its neighbours.
What did Dunhuang do during the Southern Dynasty?
When metropolitan China was in turmoil during the Southern & Northern Dynasties (the 3rd to the 6th century), Dunhuang was relatively stable and became a centre of refuge. Its population increased and civilization flourished.