9. Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi

Located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain 16 kilometers west of Datong, Shanxi province, the Yungang Grottoes were built against the mountain and extend about 1 kilometer from east to west. Originally built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-557), it was then used for practicing Buddhism. The construction of the caves began under the auspices of the noted monk Tan Yao in 453 AD and took 50 years to complete. At present, there are 45 caves, 252 shrines and over 51,000 statues in the grottoes.