Endangered Site: Xumishan Grottoes, China
This collection of ancient Buddhist cave temples date back to the fifth and tenth centuries, A.D.
- By Lyn Garrity
- Smithsonian magazine, March 2009, Subscribe
A 65-foot statue of Buddha within one of 130 caves in northwest China is threatened by erosion and earthquakes. Eddie Gerald / Alamy
Throughout history, human settlement has been driven by three basic tenets: location, location, location. And the Xumishan grottoes—a collection of ancient Buddhist cave temples constructed between the fifth and tenth centuries A.D.—owe their existence to this axiom. Located in China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Xumishan (pronounced "SHU-me-shan") capitalized on its proximity to the Silk Road, the crucial trade artery between East and West that was a thoroughfare not only for goods but also for culture and religious beliefs. Along this route the teachings of Buddha traveled from India to China, and with those teachings came the cave temple tradition.
Hewed out of red sandstone cliffs—most likely by artisans and monks, funded by local officials and aristocrats—the Xumishan grottoes break into eight clusters that scatter for more than a mile over starkly beautiful, arid terrain. The construction of the approximately 130 grottoes spans five dynastic eras, from the Northern Wei (A.D. 386-534) to the Tang (A.D. 618-906). Although there are more extensive cave temples in China, Xumishan "is kind of a new pearl that's very little known," says Paola Demattè, an associate professor of Chinese art and archaeology at the Rhode Island School of Design. Historical records offer scant details about the site, but clues can be found among inscriptions on cave walls—such as the devotional "Lu Zijing" from A.D. 848, in which "a Buddha's disciple wholeheartedly attends to the Buddha"—and steles (stone slabs), particularly three from the 15th century that recount a sporadic history of the caves.
One of the steles contains the first written reference to the name "Xumishan"—a Chinese-language variation of "Mount Sumeru," the Sanskrit term for Buddhism's cosmic mountain at the center of the universe. Before the grottoes were carved, the site was known as Fengyishan. Nobody knows for sure when and why the mountain was renamed. Some have suggested that it was basically an exercise in rebranding, to make the site more compelling to pilgrims. Others, such as Harvard's Eugene Wang, an expert on Chinese Buddhist art, see no special significance in the name change, since Xumishan was a widely used Buddhist term by the time it became attached to the site.
Nearly half of the grottoes are bare and may have served as living quarters for monks. Wall paintings and statues decorate the rest, where influences from India and Central Asia are evident. Cave 33's square layout, with its partition wall punctuated by three portals and pillars that reach to the ceiling, resembles a temple style that emerged in India during the second or first century B.C. Central Asian influence can be seen in
Cave 51's two-level, four-chambered, square floor plan and in its central pillar, a Chinese variation on the dome-shaped stupa that symbolizes the Buddha's burial mound.
Overlooking the landscape is a 65-foot Tang dynasty Buddha, seated in a kingly posture. The colossal statue represents Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. The concept of Maitreya is somewhat similar to Christian, Jewish and Persian Messianic traditions, says Demattè: "Once the historic Buddha passed away, there was this great expectation that another Buddha would come." Multiple depictions of Maitreya can be found throughout Xumishan's grottoes.
Designated a nationally protected cultural relics site by China's State Council in 1982, Xumishan's grottoes face severe threats from wind and sand erosion, unstable rock beds and earthquakes. According to Demattè, only about 10 percent of the caves are in good condition. Some are so damaged they hardly seem like caves at all; others are blackened with soot from previous occupation or have suffered from vandalism or centuries' worth of droppings from birds and other pests.
After archaeologists from Beijing University surveyed the caves in 1982, some restoration efforts, however misguided, were made. Cement was used to patch parts of the colossal Buddha and to erect an overhang above the sculpture, which was exposed after a landslide in the 1970s. (Cement is ill advised for stabilizing sandstone, since it is a much harder substance than sandstone and contains potentially damaging soluble salts.) To prevent vandalism, grated gates that allow tourists to peer through them have been installed at cave entrances. China's cultural heritage advisers have also started training the local authorities about proper conservation practices.
Even with these measures, it's hard to say what the future holds for Xumishan. Increased scholarly investigation of the site may help. "We need to carefully document every inch," Wang says, "to preserve the grottoes digitally because there's no way to physically preserve them forever." It's a sentiment that resonates with one of the Buddha's main teachings—everything changes.
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Related topics: Buddhism Cultural Preservation Modern Historic Eras: Asia Historic Geographic Locations China Places of Worship Historic and Cultural Monuments
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Comments (5)
k. richarson: this is not a case of Europe meeting with asia.buddhism was from south asia. silk road as i understood it, was trade between china and mid=eastern nations, slowly expanding to europe. michael hopkins, what is your project exactly? completed? thanks to smithsonian.
Posted by t.p. shao on January 31,2012 | 06:50 PM
very informative post. China is considered as a copious warehouse of Buddhist art. The vibrant murals are a perfect exemplar arts from primeval India, Greece and Iran.The vibrant murals are a perfect example of art, music and dance, political affairs, economic conditions are a significant part of their lives. Longmen Grottoes is a must visit where Mt. Xiangshan and the Mt. Longmen resemble couple of Chinese entrance towers.Maijishan Mountain is fourth biggest place of concerted Buddhist caves subsequent to Luoyang, Datong and Dunhuang Grottoes. For more details refer http://www.journeyidea.com/splendour-beyond-the-great-wall-of-china-part-vi/
Posted by Mack on August 13,2009 | 06:58 AM
Michael, if you are doing a project on this site, be sure to look at the Longmen caves as well. It's interesting to compare/contrast the styles and influences.
All of the Silk Road sites are endangered, but there are too many for all to be preserved. Archaeologists interested in Chinese sites should investigate what is left before the ephemeral Silk Road becomes a ghost, not a shadow.
The civilizations of Europe and Asia met along these dusty roads, leaving behind hints & bits of now-lost peoples. A better understanding of the Road could provide insight on both the cross-pollination of Eurasian cultures and the advancements made possible by the unprecedented exchange of ideas and technologies.
Posted by K Richardson on June 25,2009 | 07:18 PM
i am doing my honors history project on this endangered site. this was a good website for information.
Posted by Michael Hopkins on May 28,2009 | 11:33 AM
Where are these. As best I could find they are somewhere north west of Xian. If I wanted to visit, what is the name of near by medium size cities? Thanks
Posted by G.G. Campbell on May 7,2009 | 01:39 AM