Northern Wei dynasty

The Northern Wei was the most enduring and powerful of the northern Chinese dynasties that ruled before the reunification of China under the Sui and Tang dynasties.

386 –534 C.E.

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Yungang grottoes
Yungang grottoes

Imagine peering into a cave and seeing a monumental carved Buddha peer right back at you.

Longmen caves, Luoyang
Longmen caves, Luoyang

This cave complex reveals how Northern Wei and early Tang rulers used Buddhist imagery to assert authority.

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