Atlas of China
Tianlongshan Grottoes 天龙山石窟Tiānlóngshān Shíkū
National heritage site · Taiyuan, Shanxi
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Taiyuan
- Region
- Shanxi
- Type
- Heritage
- Listed as
- National heritage site
About Tianlongshan Grottoes
A group of Buddhist cave temples cut into two peaks of Mount Tianlong, begun in the Eastern Wei dynasty in the 6th century and extended through the Northern Qi, Sui and Tang. There are 25 caves with about 500 surviving figures, among them the open-air Cave 9, where a seated Maitreya sits above an eleven-headed Guanyin. Many heads and whole figures were cut away in the early 20th century and are now in museums abroad; a site museum shows a 3D-printed replica of Cave 8 and the head of its main Buddha, which returned from abroad and went on show in 2021.
How to get to Tianlongshan Grottoes
On Mount Tianlong, about 6 km north-west of Jinci and about 20 km south-west of central Taiyuan, with a sightseeing bus line to Jinci; the museum has been temporarily closed since 20 October 2026 for rockfall safety work and no reopening date has been announced.
Nearby
- Jinci Temple 晋祠 under 10 km
Song-dynasty halls, painted clay maidservants and a cross-shaped bridge at the Jin springs - Shanxi Museum 山西博物院 20 km
Bronzes of the ancient state of Jin, Buddhist statues and tomb treasures on the Fen River - Qiao Family Compound 乔家大院 40 km
Walled courtyards of a Qing merchant-banking family, the set for Raise the Red Lantern
Also within 20 km: Longshan Grottoes and Tongzi Temple Site 龙山石窟·童子寺遗址 (under 10 km), Longquan Temple, Taishan 太山龙泉寺 (under 10 km), Taiyuan Botanical Garden 太原植物园 (under 10 km), Mengshan Giant Buddha 蒙山大佛 (under 10 km), Mingxiu Temple 明秀寺 (under 10 km), Jinyang Ancient City Site 晋阳古城遗址 (under 10 km).
On the map
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Open Tianlongshan Grottoes on the map