title: Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves
text: # Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves
  
  The Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves (simplified Chinese: 东千佛洞; traditional Chinese: 東千佛洞; pinyin: Dōng Qiānfó Dòng) is a series of rock cut Buddhist caves in Guazhou County, Gansu, northwest China. Of the twenty-three caves excavated from the conglomerate rock, eight have murals and sculptures dating from the Western Xia and Yuan dynasty; many of the statues were reworked during the Qing dynasty. The caves extend in two tiers along the cliffs that flank both sides of a now dry river gorge, fourteen on the west bank (five with decoration) and nine on the east (three with decoration). Together with the Mogao Caves, Western Thousand Buddha Caves, Yulin Caves, and Five Temple Caves, the Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves is one of the five grotto sites in the vicinity of Dunhuang managed by the Dunhuang Academy.
  
  ## Caves
  
  Eight caves are decorated with murals and sculptures:
  
  | Cave | Construction | Modification | Location |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | Cave 1 | Yuan | | west cliff; north end, lower tier |
  | Cave 2 | Western Xia | Qing (sculptures) | west cliff; centre, lower tier |
  | Cave 3 | Yuan | Qing (sculptures) | west cliff; south end, upper tier |
  | Cave 4 | Western Xia | | west cliff; centre, upper tier |
  | Cave 5 | Western Xia | | west cliff; centre, upper tier |
  | Cave 6 | Yuan | Qing (sculptures) | east cliff; north end, upper tier |
  | Cave 7 | Yuan | Qing (sculptures) | east cliff; centre, upper tier |
  | Cave 8 | Western Xia | | east cliff; centre, upper tier |
  