Mogao Caves, located 25 km (about 15.5 miles) southeast of Dunhuang City, should be regarded as the premier Buddhist spot in China, perhaps in the whole world. The artistic features of the treasured Buddhist murals represent perfectly the artistic style of the Northern Wei (386-543), Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties through the combination of the architecture, statues and murals in the caves. It is a worthwhile place for visitors to visit.

Buddhist art has its origins in India. Mogao sculptors improvised where the rock surface did not work well under their chisels. They placed clay statues in front of the cave walls, carved relief murals as backdrops, and painted the sidewalls and ceilings with art decors. The largest statue is 34.5 m (113 feet) high and the smallest a mere 2 cm (0.79 inches) high.

The traveler will note traces of Indian Buddhist art in the earlier works. Works that are more recent depict all lifestyles and activities in a local setting. You will relive the daily routines and special events as captured by the artists while you are exploring the 750 caves. There are also vicissitudes in the artistic quality over the centuries, depending on the fortunes of Buddhism with available art patronage. Artists in each dynasty painted with their distinctive palette. People believe it possible to fill 25 km (15.5 miles) of gallery space with the works of art from Mogao. There are 50,000 manuscripts written in many languages, apart from artifacts. The Mogao Caves are a repository of historical and cultural exchanges, between China and other nations, over more than a thousand years.

Despite years of erosion, the murals are still brightly colored, with clear lines. Through pictures of different styles and schools drawn in different historical periods, they tell Buddhist stories and ways as well as life in the secular world. All these, plus a largest quantity of Buddhist sutras and relics kept in the caves have provided valuable material for a study of ancient China's politics, economy, and culture and arts, as well as its science and technology, military affairs, and religion, and documenting national history as well as cultural exchanges between China and the world.

In 1987, UNESCO placed the Mogao Caves under the protection of the World Cultural Heritage list.