Yungang Grottoes’ Caves 7 and 8 to reopen after digital restoration

After five months of digital data collection and cave investigation, Caves 7 and 8 of the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, North China's Shanxi Province, will reopen to the public on October 27, according to a statement published on the Yungang Grottoes official website.

Caves 7 and 8, located in the central area of the grotto complex, are the oldest double caves excavated during the mid-period of the Yungang Grottoes.

Built under the design and direction of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), these large-scale caves are considered representative works of the era. The remaining sculptures and carvings inside the grottoes are exquisitely crafted and strictly composed, making them representative Buddhist temple caves. The facade features a "two pagodas and one stele" design, while the interior is divided into front and rear chambers. The caves are rectangular, which marked a significant change from earlier grotto forms, according to an official introduction.

The iconography continues many early Buddhist themes. These caves signify the beginning of the Sinicization of Buddhist art. Notable highlights include the "Six Beauties" in Cave 7, the coffered ceiling in the rear chamber, and the Bodhisattva with exposed teeth and folded hands on the west side of the rear chamber in Cave 8.

The Yungang Grottoes have long faced challenges such as damage from rainwater seepage and weathering. Caves 7 and 8 were closed to visitors in May for digitalization efforts, a process that each cave at the Yungang Grottoes will eventually undergo.

The main goals are to preserve the current condition of the caves for research and to enable the reproduction of the grottoes through digital and life-size printing technology so that people can appreciate the grandeur of the grottoes at exhibitions in other locations, a staff member with the Yungang Grottoes surnamed Li, who is mainly responsible for introducing statues in the caves, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Li added that during the National Day holidays this year, many tourists inquired about when Caves 7 and 8 would reopen, especially since the "Six Beauties" and the Bodhisattva with folded hands and exposed teeth are popular attractions. This was confirmed by Ding Hao, a local tour guide in Datong, who said that visitors often had to queue to enter the caves, and due to the crowds, he sometimes had to use pictures of the art in the caves on his phone to assist with his explanations.

Boasting 45 major caves, the 1,500-year-old Yungang Grottoes were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. A representative of the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art, the Yungang Grottoes are one of China's three major grotto sites.

Digitalization of cultural relics has long been a priority for the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute. As of August, 80 percent of the 45 major caves and more than 59,000 statues had been fully digitalize.

Unlike previous methods that relied on 3D laser scanning and camera-based texture capture, re-searchers at Yungang have introduced hyperspectral digital collection technology to record the spectral data of the caves' remaining colors. This data will be crucial for the future preservation and study of the original color information in these two caves, according to CCTV News.