Maijishan Grottoes
cave in China
The Maijishan Grottoes (simplified Chinese: 麦积山石窟; traditional Chinese: 麥積山石窟; pinyin: Màijīshān Shíkū), formerly romanized as Maichishan, are a series of 194 rock-cut caves cut into the Maijishan hill in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwest China. They contain over 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square meters of murals.
The name Maijishan consists of three Chinese words (麦积山): mai (麦) is the generic term for most grains, ji (积) means "stack" or "mound", and shan (山) means "mountain". Maijishan is often translated as "wheatstack mountain" or "corn rick mountain".
The mountain is formed of purplish red sandstone. Construction of the grottoes began in the Later Qin era (384–417 CE). A team of Chinese archeologists from Beijing conducted the first modern exploration in 1952–53. They devised the numbering system still in use today. Caves #1–50 are on the western cliff face, while caves #51–191 on the eastern cliff face. The grottoes were later photographed by Michael Sullivan and Dominique Darbois, who subsequently published the primary English-language work on the caves noted in the footnotes below.
The public source identifies “Maijishan Grottoes” as cave in China. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Maijishan, Grottoes and cave.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Maijishan Grottoes”, the useful work is to connect “cave in China” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1885375. Authority coordinates are 34.350, 106.006. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1952.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Maijishan Grottoes”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Maijishan Grottoes primary sources, Maijishan Grottoes archive and Maijishan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Maijishan Grottoes”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Maijishan Grottoes” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.