maiji-grottoes

Tianshui Gansu Guide 2026: Maiji Mountain Grottos & the Ancient Wei River Valley

Tianshui in southeastern Gansu is home to the Maiji Mountain Grottoes, one of China's four great Buddhist cave art sites — 194 caves carved into a cliff face shaped like a haystack, containing 7,200 sculptures and 1,300 square meters of murals spanning 1,600 years. This guide covers the grottoes in detail, Tianshui's other historical sites, the Wei River valley landscape, and how to get there from Xi'an or Lanzhou.