# Binglingsi Grottoes (炳灵寺石窟)

Lanzhou, Gansu Province · Northwest, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/binglingsi-grottoes
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥50
- **Time needed:** 1 hour
- **Getting there:** Take a bus from Lanzhou to Liujiaxia Reservoir, fare about ¥25, then take a passenger boat or speedboat to Binglingsi, ¥80–160
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Temples

## About Binglingsi Grottoes

Binglingsi Grottoes were first carved during the Western Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms. Today there are 183 caves, 694 carved stone Buddha statues, 82 clay sculptures and 900 square metres of murals. On the cliff wall of Tangshu Cave, the largest cave, ink inscriptions dated to the first year of the Jianhong era (420 CE) survive, the earliest explicitly dated inscription among China's grottoes. The site is divided into the Upper Temple, Donggou and the Lower Temple. The Lower Temple has the most spectacular scenery, and its relief stupas and esoteric Buddhist murals rank alongside those of the Mogao Caves and Maiji Mountain Grottoes.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 729. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.