【阿姗影记】 Photologue: 麦积山石窟 Maijishan Grottoes

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Situated 50 kilometres southeast of Tianshui, Gansu Province, the Maijishan Grottoes is a mammoth beehive of temple caves chiselled right into perpendicular cliffs. Construction of the Maijishan Grottoes began in the Late Qin Dynasty of the Period of Sixteen Kingdoms, and, after herculean efforts were made through a dozen dynastic periods, it became one of the country’s largest grottoes. Extolled as a "Museum of the East", Majishan features a total of 194 cave temples divided into eastern and western sections which house 7,200-odd clay and stone sculptures and frescos totalling 1,300 square metres wrought from the late fourth to nineteenth century. The statues, designed to capture the spirit of the figures by means of lifelike imagery, are fine examples of the unique classical Chinese style of clay sculptures.

麦积山石窟。丝绸之路上重要的宗教艺术古迹，位于甘肃天水县麦积乡南侧，是西秦岭山脉北支小陇山前山区的孤峰，相对高度142米。峰顶呈圆锥状，红色砂砾岩层略近水平，因岩体形如农村麦垛而得名，为陇原上麦垛式丹霞地貌。山崖拔地而起，高80米，山势险峻，周围绿树成林，环境清幽。

Maijishan Grottoes, Tianshui, Gansu Province.
West of the border with Shaanxi, it is the first significant Silk Road city. Tianshui is just the nearest town to the Maijishan Grottoes, which house amazingly well-preserved Buddhist sculptures in over 200 cliff caves that date back more than 1500 years. Maijishan Grottoes – one of the four largest grottoes in China, catwalks and steep spiral stairs have been built across the cliff face to get access to the caves half way up in the sky.
西汉末年，麦积山已成为天水名将隗嚣的避暑宫。十六国后秦（公元384-417年）时期，始修凿石窟，后经北魏、西魏、北周、隋、唐、五代、宋、元、明、清十多个朝代，1500多年的开凿重修，已成为我国著名的大型石窟群之一。

Maijishan Grottoes.
麦积山石窟大佛像。石窟创建于十六国姚秦时期（约384），大兴于北魏太和元年(477)以后，西魏再修崖阁寺宇，北周造七佛阁，隋初建舍利塔，又于七佛阁下雕出高达15米的摩崖大石佛三身，为麦积山最大雕像。

Statues of Maijishan Grottoes
麦积山佛像。

A statue in Maijishan Grottoes.
麦积山石窟一座小佛像。
麦积山石窟有洞窟194个，泥塑和石刻造像7200余身，壁画1300多平方米，尤以泥塑艺术见长，被誉为“东方雕塑艺术馆”。麦积山石窟是中国诸多石窟寺庙中风景最为秀丽的一座，以七佛阁、万佛洞、牛儿堂、寂陵等最为著名。泥塑以形传神，神形兼备，反映的内容具有彻底的世俗和浓厚的生活情趣。塑绘手法是上彩不重彩，特色显明。

Statue of Maijishan Grottoes, Tianshui, Gansu.
麦积山石窟佛像。

Cave painting of Maijishan Grottoes.
麦积山石窟壁画。
石窟以精美泥塑艺术著称于世，还有少量石刻像和像碑。现存窟龛194个，塑像7800身；壁画1100平方米,仅占原有壁画3/10。

Maijishan Grottoes, Cave 5.
麦积山石窟第五窑。
唐开元二十二年(734)天水一带发生大地震，崖面中部塌毁，分窟群为东崖和西崖两部分，即五代时所谓东阁和西阁。唐、五代、宋、元、明、清各代均曾增建重修。东崖以涅□窟、千佛廊、散花楼、上七佛阁、中七佛阁和牛儿堂等最为重要，规模宏大；西崖共140窟，最重要的三大窟中以万佛堂最大，天堂洞次之，127号窟最小，皆开凿于6世纪。