The shock of Hebei Xiangtangshan Grottoes can only be felt in person

⛰️In Handan, Hebei, the Xiangtangshan Grottoes, a royal grotto carved during the Northern Qi Dynasty, is a national project built with one-third of the country's wealth during this 'short-lived' dynasty of only 28 years. It can be said that all of them are classics, each grotto is more shocking than the last. ⛰️The Xiangtangshan Grottoes are divided into the north and south. The North Xiangtang is grand in scale and is the essence of the grottoes. The South Xiangtang is smaller in scale but exquisite in design. Both are worth seeing. It is regrettable that at least 120 Buddha heads in the grottoes have been scattered around the world, and the few remaining heads were not stolen because they are not original Northern Qi artifacts and 'worthless'. Of course, in addition to modern theft, the anti-Buddhist movement of the Northern Zhou Dynasty is also one of the reasons for the destruction of the Buddha statues. 🌈Grotto Highlights There are 16 grottoes remaining (9 in the north and 7 in the south) North Xiangtang🎫60, tour for 3 hours+; South Xiangtang🎫15, tour for 1 hour+; Half an hour between the two grottoes🚗; The most worth seeing grottoes: 📍The Great Buddha Cave and Sakyamuni Cave in North Xiangtang; 👉The Great Buddha Cave is the largest cave, with a central square column. The top of the column has the 'Gao Huan Tomb' recorded in the literature (Gao Huan: Emperor Shenwu of Northern Qi). When archaeologists opened the stone tomb at the top, it was already empty. The stone coffin bed components now housed in the Freer Gallery of Art in the United States are believed to possibly come from the Great Buddha Cave; 👉The highlights of the Sakyamuni Cave are the two Bodhisattvas at the entrance corridor, the style of the cave door and the door pillars; 📍The Thousand Buddha Cave and Scripture Carving Cave in South Xiangtang; 👉The lotus relief on the top of the Thousand Buddha Cave and the 8 flying apsaras; 👉The scriptures and details of the small Buddha statues in the Scripture Carving Cave; Many exquisite details are not in the Great Buddha, perhaps on the base, perhaps on the door lintel, perhaps in the corner of the cave wall; reserve a little more time to discover surprises