THE BUDDHIST TREASURES IN THE MOGAO CAVES OF CHINA - UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

This unit begins with a research activity fill-in page designed to introduce students to the foundations of Buddhism. This leads onto the story of the origin of this site in the valley sides near Dunhuang China. Over many centuries other devotees of Buddhism have excavated caves and placed statues, art works and wall paintings in the area. During the Tang Period two giant Buddhas were added. The Mogao Caves gained popularity due to its location close to the Silk Road. When the Silk Road lost its prominence the Mogao Caves became less known. In the twentieth century the caves and their contents were “rediscovered” and some contents and art work were removed. In 1987 the Mogao Caves were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This resulted in a rapid increase in the number of visitors each day. The dilemma, faced by many world tourist attractions, is to manage numbers while conserving and protecting the popular site. Find out how this is dealt with in the Mogao Cave area - the hillside that contains many hundreds of caves and contents.