Kizil Caves of the Thousand Buddhas - The Earliest Buddhist Grottoes in China

1. Large-scale Usage of Blue Colors.
Some people call Kizil Caves Blue Caves for the large use of blue colors, which is hardly seen in other Buddhist caves in China. The pigments came from ground natural ore. It was extremely difficult to present blue colors in ancient times. Among all natural dyestuffs, only lasurite can make never-fading blue. And, only 1200-km away from Afghanistan produces such material. It spread to Egypt to be inlaid in the mask of pharaoh, and later came to India and China. Surprisingly, the lasurite was valuable as gold and silver. The extensive use of Buddhist murals rightly proves the obsession with Buddhism. Though red cinnabar has been oxidized and turned black, the blue lasurite, green dioptase and white limestone are still bright and beautiful after more than 1,800 years.

2. Abundant Painting Contents
Rich content is another focus of Kizil Caves. You can see massive paintings about manufacturing and daily life scenes and figures dressed in special clothes. All provide infrequent research value of the Buddhist ideology, architecture, art, painting, singing and dance, ancient folk customs and costumes. A trip to Kizil Caves gives you a totally different experience, unlike in the Dunhuang Mogao Caves. The murals are incomplete and damaged, but will always remind you of the glorious past here.

3. Mixture of Multi-cultural Elements and Arts
Researchers speak highly of Kizil Caves as a remarkable art treasury and a showcase of multi-culture fusion. It’s clear to see elements of different countries adopted in the paintings, such as musician instruments from ancient India, Persia, Qingci Kingdom and Central China. Silk Road played an important role in spreading and promoting a blend of different cultures.

After entry, tourists need to walk through a tree-lined avenue, and then can see a black statue of Kumārajīva. Born in the ancient Kingdom of Qiuci, he was an eminent Buddhist monk, scholar and translator, and made a great contribution to the spread of Buddhism in China. The statue sits with crossed legs and faces to the west - direction of the birthplace of Buddhism.

Cave No.27 - Cave of the Niche 闻法天人窟

Cave No.27 is the first cave to visit. It was excavated in about 5th century during the ancient Kingdom of Qiuci. The cave is a central pillar grotto with a square main shrine and corridor to the back room. The niche on the north wall in the main shrine is empty with no Buddhist statues. Murals on the wall in the tunnel are the only things to view. They are not well preserved and there are clear knife scratches left. The remaining painting has less than 10 immortals. They wear beautiful clothes and jewelry around their heads which were painted in different colors and styles.

Cave No.34 - Cave with Meditating Sun God 思惟日神窟

Cave No.34 was excavated in the 5th century and was reconstructed into central pillar cave in about 7th century. The original murals are gone, and the paintings in the main shrine are replicas. Luckily, the roof area has relatively well-preserved diamond-shaped Buddhist story paintings. Each diamond tells a Buddhist story and brings profound thinking. They are priceless cultural heritages and historical records of cultural exchange of the ancient Kingdom of Qiuci and India. Deep sunken fingerprints on the wall are from devout pilgrims.

Cave No.32

Cave No.32 is a work during the development period, which shows the Qici caves gradually becoming more mature. It has the same structure as Cave No.34. Likewise, in the main cella, the Buddhist statue in the big niche is empty, only the roof walls have mutilated diamend-shaped paintings. The tour guide will introduce some classic stories. An interesting view is the blue flowers - Rendong (namely honeysuckle), a special and common pattern often used in Buddhist decorations during the Southern & Northern Dynasty of China (between 5th ~ 6th century). Because it can successfully go through winter. This pattern now is wildly used on the hats and clothes of Uygur and Kazakhs. Corridors on both sides are connected, but the Buddhist sculpture in the back room is missing as well.

Cave No.17 - Cave of Bodhisattva Vault 菩萨顶窟

Cave No.17 was dug during the 6th century. The murals inside are better preserved for its higher location. The roof wall has more than 40 diamond-shaped paintings explaining different Buddhist stories. The simple and elegant colors and unique skill of wet watercolor painting are rarely seen among all the Kizil Caves. It’s an exquisite painting feat which was later transmitted to Mogao Caves via the ancient Silk Road. Besides, by viewing and learning the Buddhist story paintings under help from a professional guide, you can catch a glimpse of Buddhist culture and imagine the authentic appearance and clothing of the ancient Qiuci people.

Cave No.8 - Cave of the Sixteen Sword bearers 十六带剑者窟

Cave No.8, created during the 6 to 7th century, is most known for the unusual mural of male Flying Apsaras. The main shrine and corridors are in good condition. Walls on both vault proofs have many diamond-shaped Buddhist story paintings. The middle vault keeps the famous Tianxiang Painting (天相图). Its location presents the sky and the mural painted various gods in Buddha heaven. The lunette over the entrance is a painting of flying Apsaras in couples. Here you can see male flying Apsaras in avant-garde pants and decorations - a very unique fresco that is only found in Kizil Caves of Xinjiang. Beside him is a female flying Apsaras in Qiuci costume. They play the Chinese lute in the reserved direction and dance elegantly, fly towards the big Buddha eye, together sketch a peaceful and ideal Buddhist land.

Cave No.10 - Cave of Monk House 僧房窟

The cave was the living area of monks without any Buddhist sculptures and murals. At present, the cave has altered as an exhibition room, displaying photos of Han Yuran and his contribution to Kizil Caves’ protection.

A longer Xinjiang trip is more recommended and worthwhile because of its large scale. Most travelers start a Xinjiang tour from Urumqi – the tourist distribution center equipped with convenient airlines. Some travelers also unveil a Xining experience from Kashgar – the transfer hub in southern Xinjiang.

A classic Xinjiang tour takes 6 ~ 8 days, including 2~3 days in Urumqi (Xinjiang Regional Museum, Nanshan Passture) and Heavenly Lake, 1~2 days in Turpan (Jiaohe Ancient City, Karez System, Bezeklik Thousand Buddhas… ), and 3 ~ 4 days in Kashgar (Kashgar Old City, Karakul Lake, Tashkurgan Fort…). Don’t miss Kanas - the God’s private garden, and it takes at least 3 full days to enjoy its beautiful lakes, bays, forests, rivers and villages.

☛ 6 Days Urumqi Turpan Kashgar Efficient Tour
☛ 8 Days Xinjiang Classic Tour (Urumqi - Turpan - Kashgar)
☛ 9 Days Kanas Lake Fairyland Tour from Urumqi

Many travelers prefer a Silk Road tour involving Gansu and Xinjiang discovery together. It needs about 2~3 days to explore Dunhuang highlights, 2~3 days to visit Zhangye essences and 1~2 days to enjoy Jiayugan landmarks. It is also recommended to spend 1 ~2 days visiting Xining and Qinghai Lake.

☛ 10 Days Classic China Silk Road In-depth Tour (Xian – Dunhuang – Turpan – Urumqi - Kashgar)
☛ 411 Days In-depth Wild Silk Road Adventure Tour (Lanzhou - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang - Turpan - Urumqi - Kashgar)

In fact, the Silk Road broke into three routes in Xinjiang, and they passed through many cities in Xinjiang. For adventurous travelers looking for something different along the glorious road, just spend about 2 weeks visiting legendary Turpan, Korla, Kuqa, Kashgar, Tashkurgan, etc.

☛ 13 Days In-depth Xinjiang Silk Road Adventure Tour (Urumqi - Turpan - Korla - Kuqa - Takilamakan Desert - Minfeng - Hongtan - Kashgar - Tashkurgan)
☛ 6 Days Qinghai Lake Zhangye Danxia Rainbow Mountains Tour (Xining - Qinghai Lake - Chaka Lake - Zhangye)
☛ 9 Days Taklamakan Desert Ancient Silk Road Tour (Kashgar - Karakul Lake - Hotan - Ala'er - Kucha - Urumqi)

Many travelers visit Xinjiang for the extraordinary scenic beauty. It is easy to find some places to envelop yourself in nature or capture some excellent photography, such as grasslands, lakes, villages, and some other geographical wonders in 1 ~ 2 weeks.

☛ 10 Days Stunning Ili Apricot Blossom and Naraty Grassland Tour (Urumqi - Sayram Lake - Qingyuan - Naraty - Kuitun - Urumqi)
☛ 11 Days Best Xinjiang Landscape Tour (Urumqi - Burqin - Kanas - Karamy - Sayram Lake - Karajun Grassland - Kuitun - Urumqi)