Gongyi Grottoes.

🐉The Longmen Grottoes Binyang Cave Emperor and Empress Buddha Statue was stolen during the Republic of China's chaotic times and is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA. The only remaining Emperor and Empress Buddha Statue in China is in the Gongyi Grottoes. I came here today specifically to see it and was truly shocked. The figures are lifelike, and they even carry fashionable bags. 🐉The Gongyi Grottoes were carved during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Emperor and Empress Buddha Statue tells the story of the Northern Wei monarch and queen worshipping Buddha. The scene is grand and lively, with people in the queue serving the emperor and queen, holding tributes, and going on a pilgrimage. The figures' expressions are mostly smiling, and they are wearing wide clothes and belts, which are typical of the Northern Wei Dynasty. 🐉The grottoes mostly use a central pillar structure, and the upper part of the central pillar is often carved with flying figures. The flying figures, wearing fluttering ribbons and freely soaring in the sky, originated in ancient India and were influenced by ancient Greek angel culture, showing a relaxed posture. The decoration on the top of the cave is exquisite, with patterns such as lotus flowers, and the colors are still visible today. 🇨🇳Appreciate the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization and inherit Chinese culture.