The Yungang Grottoes were excavated during the Northern Wei Dynasty. They were the first grottoes excavated by the royal family after Buddhism was introduced to China.
There are 45 main caves, 209 subsidiary caves and more than 59,000 large and small statues. In 2001, they were included in the World Heritage List by the United Nations. Severe weathering has made the protection of this stone cultural relic a global problem. The sixth cave of the Yungangs is still under construction and maintenance.