Bingling Si

Lying upstream on the Yellow River from Liujiaxia Dam, 70km southwest of Lanzhou, Binglingsi is an important Buddhist cave complex dating from the 5th century and one of the most unusual sights in Gunsu where grottoes were spared the vandalism of the Cultural Revolution. Bingling Si is also called the Thousand Buddha Caves, although in fact the total number of caves in only 183. The setting is spectacular, with soaring cliffs composed of eroded and porous rock with numerous natural cavities. The star of the caves is the 27m-high seated statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha (cave 172).