Xiangtangshan Grottoes

The Xiangtangshan caves were carved in the sixth century under the Northern Qi, whose capital lay nearby, and their sculpture, full-bodied figures with softly modelled drapery, marks a distinct moment between the linear Northern Wei style and the fuller Tang manner. In the 1910s and 1920s the caves were systematically looted: heads and whole figures were cut from the walls and sold on the international market, and pieces are now in museums across the United States, Europe and Japan, with the mutilated niches still visible in the caves. A digital reunification project has scanned dispersed pieces and the caves to reconstruct the originals virtually. A museum at the site explains both the art and the losses.

What you actually see

• The Northern Qi sculpture - sixth-century figures in a distinctive full style.
• The cut niches - the scars where heads and figures were removed.
• The northern and southern groups - two cave sites some fifteen kilometres apart.
• The site museum - interpretation of the caves and the dispersal of their sculpture.

When to go

April to May and September to October for comfortable weather; the caves are quiet compared with Yungang or Longmen. Handan is reached by high-speed rail, and a taxi is needed for the last stretch.

Honest expectations

The damage is extensive and confronting; many figures are headless. The two groups are separate sites with separate access. English interpretation is limited. Handan itself is an industrial city with little for visitors.

Nearby

Handan lies east; the Taihang mountains rise west.