The Maijishan Grottoes are a remarkable testament to ancient Chinese artistry and engineering, showcasing thousands of clay sculptures created over centuries on a sheer cliff face, offering a unique window into the lives and emotions of ordinary people.
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This
is a clay figure I made.
And what you’re about to see next
were crafted by the ancient Chinese over 1,000 years ago
covering the entire mountain.
This is
the Maijishan Grottoes, one of China's four great grottoes.
Here,
a finger reaches infinitely close to mortals, yet never touches,
centuries before Michelangelo's Creation of Adam.
The timeless Eastern smile
is 1,000 years older than the Mona Lisa.
10,632 statues in total–truly divine.
But,
who made clay come alive?
Welcome to the Civilization Epic series by the Institute for Planets.
We are at a spur of the Qinling Mountains.
Perhaps 1,600 years ago,
pilgrims and monks
climbed the same mountains,
searching for a sacred place.
And they found it:
in today’s Tianshui, Gansu Province,
a lone red peak stood out,
named Haystack Mountain (Maijishan) for its shape.
This nearly vertical peak,
its iron-rich rocks oxidized to red,
stands striking and alone.
But
how did they work on cliffs so steep that even plants couldn't grow,
climbing up and down
year after year
to carve Buddhas?
They used this
to build a ladder to the sky.
They drove a wedge into a wooden stake.
When inserted into a hole,
the wedge expanded the stake,
locking it tight.
Like an ancient expansion bolt.
Or they carved a notch at the back.
Inside, they hid a small peg.
When the stake was driven in,
the peg locked into a pre-cut slot inside the hole
and the stake held fast.
And so,
they chiseled out holes,
hammered in stakes,
built plank roads,
layer by layer, climbing higher.
Twelve levels of stairways zigzagged up among the clouds,
221 caves honeycombed the cliff,
and the sacred mountain began to take shape.
But Maijishan's rocks
Rough and crumbly.
A gentle chip–
and chunks break off.
It seemed impossible to carve fine details.
What to do?
Enter the masters of clay.
On this base,
they applied a layer of coarse clay
mixing in straw or reeds
to help it cling.
Over that,
they applied a finer layer.
They mixed hemp fibers
for strength and flexibility,
while keeping the surface smooth.
But the masters
weren't done yet.
On top of that,
they added a layer of
one-millimeter decorative slip,
which was sieved repeatedly
until super fine
like foundation makeup.
With this,
they could finally paint.
Over the rock core
are three layers of clay;
and then painted in full color
this is Maijishan's rock-core clay sculpture.
And so, standing over ten meters tall,
the Grand Buddha emerged from the cliffs,
floating mid-air.
Tens, hundreds,
then thousands of Buddhas
with unique expressions
are truly breathtaking!
Its true treasures aren't just these Buddhas,
but the smaller and life-sized ones
over a meter tall,
or even smaller ones.
Unlike Longmen or Yungang,
where carving was sponsored
mainly by royalty
Maijishan's patrons were
mid and low-level officials and commoners.
They couldn't afford
the awe-inspiring,
magnificent projects.
Instead, they created
a portrait of everyday China.
Ready?
Welcome to the world of Maijishan.
Yi jian san lian
Dian zan guan zhu
What?
Zhuan fa pin lun
That’s terrifying!
Ugh, my back
Gotta give it a massage.
My arms have been like this forever. It’s killing me.
Moo?
Quiet.
Shh! Offering incense here.
What
How were such diverse sculptures made?
Here's a damaged Buddha arm.
We can see the structure inside:
a wooden skeleton overlaid with clay.
The reeds inside
help the clay stick and stay stable.
This is wood-core clay sculpture called "mugu nisu"
And this is a flying apsara.
Look closely,
the face, hands, feet–any exposed skin–
are a thin, raised layer of clay.
This is the thin-relief sculpture.
No cracks after a thousand years
as if ready to step out of the wall.
Wait.
If they used clay,
why not use molds?
Well, they absolutely did!
If this cave was restored,
we'd see thousands of molded Buddhas, bodhisattvas, disciples, and apsaras
covering every inch.
A galaxy of divine beings.
This is mold-made clay relief.
And the cave I'm in
was named Scattering Flower Pavilion,
with eight stone pillars,
seven interconnected caves
rock-core clay sculpture,
wood-core clay sculpture,
thin-relief sculpture and mold-made clay relief.
You think that's all?
This is the real pavilion.
A 70-meter heavenly palace on the cliff.
So, the masters who created all this
really remained unsung?
In the 1982,
while restoring the Eastern Cliff Great Buddha,
workers unexpectedly found
a Southern Song Dynasty Ding ware bowl inside the Buddha's head.
On its base, an ink inscription,
faint but legible, named a craftsman: Gao Zhentong.
Ancient Chinese artisans held low status.
But Gao refused to be forgotten.
So while repairing the Buddha, he likely
left the bowl used for coloring
inside the Buddha's head.
Sadly,
apart from him,
the names of most artisans
have been lost to history.
So,
can we, today
still get to know them?
Let's return to the two statues from the beginning.
This sculpture
shows Sakyamuni meeting his son for the first time after enlightenment.
He reaches out to touch him—
but his hand remains forever suspended in air.
To pull back and sever all ties?
Or reach out and embrace love?
I'd like to believe it's the latter.
Some believe the Buddha
is Empress Yifu of the Western Wei Dynasty
She married the emperor for 13 years,
had several children,
and was kind to everyone around her.
But in those chaotic times,
the emperor was merely a puppet,
powerless to protect her.
When the emperor married the Princess Rouran with powerful backing,
he forced Yifu to be a nun,
and then ordered her death.
The people wouldn't let her die unjustly.
They wanted the kind-hearted
to go to a better paradise.
The artisans remained unsung.
But they carved warmth.
They carved joy and sorrow,
life and death,
parents and children,
lovers and friends,
and all the people who once lived on this land.
They were sealed, forever, in clay.
They left no names,
but they gave a face to a people.
This is the story of Maijishan.
This is the story of China's artisans.
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