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 The Yungang Grottoes, located at the southern base of the Wuzhou mountain, 16 kilometres west of Datong, were carved during the Northern Wei Dynasty under the charge of a Buddhist monk named Tan Yao as ordered by the emperor. Stretching one kilometre, the remaining 53 caves, with 51,000 carved statues and bas-reliefs, constitute one of China's largest grottoes and world-famous treasure-house of arts and culture.