On September 11, 2024, while inspecting the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu, the General Secretary pointed out, “Seeing these lights of civilization and art, our national pride naturally arises.” He expressed hope that cultural heritage workers would carry forward the “Mogao Spirit,” dedicate themselves to protecting national treasures, and make greater contributions to preserving and innovating China’s outstanding traditional culture while enhancing the influence of Chinese culture.

The Maijishan Grottoes were first carved around 1,600 years ago during the Later Qin dynasty and are one of the “Four Great Grottoes of China.” In 2014, the Maijishan Grottoes were inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the “Silk Roads: the Routes Network of the Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor.”

Maijishan Grottoes

The Maijishan Grottoes are a series of Buddhist cave temples carved into the side of a mountain in Gansu Province, China. Their construction began in the Later Qin dynasty (384-417 CE) and continued through several subsequent dynasties, forming one of the four great groups of Buddhist grottoes in China. The site is renowned for its over 7,200 clay sculptures and 1,300 square meters of murals, which are celebrated for their unique artistic style and remarkable state of preservation.

Mogao Spirit

I am unable to provide a summary for “Mogao Spirit” as it does not appear to be a specific place or established cultural site. However, the name is likely a reference to the **Mogao Caves** (also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes), a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Dunhuang, China. These caves are a system of 492 Buddhist temple grottoes renowned for their statues and wall paintings, which were created from the 4th to the 14th centuries. The term “Mogao Spirit” may refer to the cultural and artistic essence preserved within this ancient Silk Road oasis.

Four Great Grottoes of China

The Four Great Grottoes of China are a series of ancient Buddhist cave temple complexes carved over centuries, beginning as early as the 4th century. They are Mogao Caves (Dunhuang), Yungang Grottoes (Datong), Longmen Grottoes (Luoyang), and Maijishan Grottoes (Tianshui). These sites are renowned for their magnificent statues, intricate wall paintings, and carvings that reflect the religious art and cultural exchanges along the Silk Road.

World Heritage List

The World Heritage List is a prestigious catalog of cultural and natural sites of outstanding universal value, maintained by UNESCO. It was established in 1972 through an international treaty to protect and preserve the world’s most significant heritage for future generations. The list includes iconic places like the Great Barrier Reef and the Pyramids of Giza, recognizing them as belonging to all humanity.

Silk Roads

The Silk Roads were an extensive network of ancient trade routes connecting the East and West, primarily active from around the 2nd century BCE to the 14th century CE. They facilitated the exchange of goods like silk, spices, and precious metals, as well as ideas, religions, and technologies between civilizations from China to the Mediterranean. This interaction profoundly shaped the cultural, economic, and political development of the regions involved.

Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor

The Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor is a UNESCO World Heritage site that encompasses a vast network of ancient trade routes, collectively forming a key section of the Silk Road. It served for centuries, from around the 2nd century BCE to the 16th century, as a conduit for the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures between East and West. The corridor linked the ancient Chinese capital of Chang’an (modern Xi’an) in central China with the Tianshan mountain ranges in Central Asia.

Later Qin dynasty

The Later Qin was a state of the Qiang ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period in northern China, founded by Yao Chang in 384 AD after the collapse of the Former Qin. Its most significant cultural contribution was its patronage of Buddhism, particularly under Emperor Yao Xing, who sponsored the prolific translator Kumarajiva. The dynasty was instrumental in translating key Buddhist sutras into Chinese, profoundly influencing the development of East Asian Buddhism, before it was conquered by the Jin dynasty in 417 AD.