Xumishan Grottoes

Xumishan takes its name from Sumeru, the mountain at the centre of the Buddhist universe, and around a hundred and thirty caves were cut into its red sandstone knolls between the Northern Wei and the Tang, on a route that carried Buddhism east. The best known figure is a seated Maitreya of about twenty metres from the Tang, originally sheltered by a wooden structure that has long gone, so it now sits exposed on the hillside, visible from a distance across the valley. Other caves hold Northern Wei and Sui sculpture in various states, reached by paths and stairs across several separate hills.

What you actually see

• The Tang Maitreya - a twenty-metre seated Buddha open to the sky.
• The Northern Wei caves - earlier sculpture in the smaller chambers.
• The red sandstone hills - the knolls the caves are cut into.
• The linking paths - stairs and bridges between the separate groups.

When to go

April to June and September to October; summer is hot and winter cold in southern Ningxia. Morning light falls best on the great Buddha. The site is quiet outside holidays.

Honest expectations

Many caves are damaged, weathered or closed. The site is spread across hills with a lot of climbing. Access from Guyuan needs a taxi and the area sees few foreign visitors.

Nearby

Guyuan lies southeast; Kongtong Mountain is south in Gansu.