敦煌莫高窟，位于敦煌市東南25公里處，南北綿延1 700余米， 共保存洞窟735個(gè)、壁畫4.5萬平方米、彩塑2 400余尊。據(jù)記載，莫高窟始建于公元366 年，歷經(jīng)十個(gè)朝代的精心營建，形成了一座規(guī)模宏大、內(nèi)涵豐富的佛教藝術(shù)寶庫。

The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang are located 25kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City， stretchingover 1，700 meters from north to south. There are atotal of 735 preserved caves， 45，000 square metersof murals， and more than 2，400 painted sculptures.According to records， the construction of the MogaoCaves began in 366 AD， and through the meticulousefforts of ten dynasties， formed a magnificent andrichly connotative treasure trove of Buddhist art.

莫高窟現(xiàn)分為南、北兩區(qū)：南區(qū)為古代僧侶和信眾禮佛朝拜的主要場所，共保存487個(gè)洞窟，內(nèi)藏有精美的彩塑和壁畫；北區(qū)則多為古代僧侶的生活起居之所，包括禪窟、僧房窟等，規(guī)模相對較小，共整理出248個(gè)洞窟。

The Mogao Caves are now divided into twosections： the southern and northern areas. Thesouthern area was the main place where ancientmonks and devotees worshipped and paid homageto Buddha. It has 487 preserved caves， containingexquisite painted sculptures and murals. Thenorthern area primarily served as the living quartersfor ancient monks， including meditation caves andmonk cells. This area is relatively smaller in scale，with a total of 248 identified caves.

莫高窟是中國古代藝術(shù)家融合中原文化、中亞及西亞等多民族文化創(chuàng)造出的獨(dú)特藝術(shù)形式。作為絲綢之路上最璀璨的藝術(shù)明珠，莫高窟保存了中國古代各時(shí)期的建筑、音樂、舞蹈、風(fēng)俗、科技、交通、服飾等豐富圖像資料，其藏經(jīng)洞內(nèi)還出土了五萬余件“敦煌遺書”以及多種中亞古代文字寫本，涵蓋歷史、地理、宗教、經(jīng)濟(jì)、藝術(shù)、科技等多個(gè)領(lǐng)域。這些數(shù)量巨大、內(nèi)容豐富的資料，為莫高窟的研究工作奠定了堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)。

The Mogao Caves represent a unique artisticform created by ancient Chinese artists whointegrated Central Plains culture with the diversecultures of Central and West Asia. As the mostbrilliant artistic jewel on the Silk Road， the MogaoCaves have preserved a wealth of visual materialsdepicting architecture， music， dance， customs，science， technology， transportation， clothing， etc.from various periods of ancient China. Additionally，over 50，000 “Dunhuang manuscripts” and numerousancient Central Asian texts were unearthed in theLibrary Cave. These texts cover a wide range of fieldsincluding history， geography， religion， economics，art， science， etc. The vast quantity and rich contentof these materials provide a solid foundation for thestudy of the Mogao Caves.

莫高窟是集建筑、彩塑、壁畫于一體的綜合石窟藝術(shù)，三者相得益彰。

The Mogao Caves are a comprehensive formof grotto art that integrates architecture， paintedsculptures， and murals， with all three elementscomplementing each other perfectly.

現(xiàn)存洞窟從形制來看，可分為禪窟、僧房窟、中心塔柱窟、殿堂窟、大像窟五種類型。禪窟、僧房窟多為僧侶坐禪修行和生活的洞窟。中心塔柱窟、殿堂窟多為禮佛朝拜之用。大像窟則因窟內(nèi)塑巨大的佛像而得名，如初唐第96窟（大像高35.5米）和盛唐第130窟（大像高26米）。

The existing caves can be categorizedinto five types based on their structure：meditation caves， monk cells， central pillarcaves， temple caves， and giant statue caves.Meditation caves and monk cells were mostlyused by monks for meditation practice andliving quarters. Central pillar caves and templecaves were primarily used forworship and paying homage toBuddha. The giant statue cavesare named for their large Buddhastatues， such as Cave 96 from theearly Tang Dynasty （with a statue35.5 meters high） and Cave 130 fromthe high Tang Dynasty （with a statue26 meters high）.

莫高窟的彩塑均為泥塑，歷經(jīng)千年仍栩栩如生。從十六國到元代，每個(gè)時(shí)期的彩塑都展現(xiàn)了不同的藝術(shù)風(fēng)格。其中，十六國和北朝前期的彩塑，人物面相豐圓、肩寬胸平，身形雄健厚重，姿態(tài)端莊樸拙，神情寧靜含蓄，從中能同時(shí)窺見中原文化和西域佛教藝術(shù)的影響。西魏時(shí)期的彩塑表現(xiàn)出南朝盛行的“秀骨清像”，人物身形修長，面容清瘦，褒衣博帶。北周時(shí)期的塑像則在人體比例上出現(xiàn)了變化，即頭大、身長、腿短，人物面相方圓而豐滿。

The painted sculptures in the Mogao Cavesare all made of clay and remain vividly lifelike evenafter a thousand years. From the Sixteen Kingdomsperiod to the Yuan Dynasty， each period’s sculpturesexhibit different artistic styles. The sculptures fromthe Sixteen Kingdoms and early Northern Dynastiesfeature figures with full， round faces， broad shoulders，and flat chests， exhibiting a robust and solidphysique. Their postures are dignified and simple，with serene and reserved expressions， reflecting theinfluences of both Central Plains culture and WesternBuddhist art. The sculptures from the Western Weiperiod show the “slim and elegant” style popular inthe Southern Dynasties， with elongated figures， thinfaces， and flowing robes with wide sleeves. Duringthe Northern Zhou period， the statues began to showchanges in human proportions， such as larger heads，longer bodies， and shorter legs， with faces that aresquare and full.

隋代彩塑具有東西融合、承上啟下的過渡時(shí)期風(fēng)格，人物頭大、上身稍長，袈裟薄而貼體，身軀輪廓隱約可見，細(xì)節(jié)處理更加細(xì)膩。唐代彩塑造型優(yōu)美、比例準(zhǔn)確、色彩華麗、神態(tài)逼真、個(gè)性鮮明，展現(xiàn)出雕塑藝術(shù)的高度造詣。如吐蕃時(shí)期第158窟中的涅槃像，是莫高窟唐代大型彩塑的代表作。像長15.8米，枕右手橫臥，左手輕置于身上，雙足相迭，神情安詳，微含笑意，表現(xiàn)了“寂靈為樂”的涅槃境界。

The paintedsculptures of theSui Dynasty exhibita t r a n s i t i o n a lstyle that blendsEastern and Westerni n f l u e n c e s a n dbridges past and futureartistic trends. The figuresfeature large heads andslightly elongated upper bodies，with thin， body-hugging robes that subtly reveal thecontours of the body， and the details are handledwith greater delicacy. Tang Dynasty sculptures arecharacterized by their beautiful shapes， accurateproportions， vibrant colors， lifelike expressions，and distinct personalities， showcasing a high levelof sculptural artistry. A representative work oflarge Tang Dynasty sculptures at Mogao Caves isthe Nirvana statue in Cave 158 from the Tibetanperiod. The statue is 15.8 meters long， with the figurereclining on the right hand， the left hand gentlyplaced on the body， feet crossed， and an expression ofserene contentment with a slight smile， embodyingthe Nirvana state of “peace and joy.”

五代、宋初時(shí)期的彩塑，延續(xù)了唐代彩塑的風(fēng)格，以豐盈華麗為特征，可惜已遭到嚴(yán)重破壞，現(xiàn)存的并不多。西夏及元代時(shí)期的彩塑則幾乎沒有保存下來。

The painted sculptures from the Five Dynastiesand early Song Dynasty continued the Tang Dynastystyle， characterized by richness and elegance.Unfortunately， many of these sculptures have beenseverely damaged， and few remain today. The paintedsculptures from the Western Xia and Yuan dynastieshave almost entirely disappeared.

莫高窟的壁畫自成體系、數(shù)量眾多，包含中國各個(gè)歷史時(shí)期的供養(yǎng)人物畫、傳統(tǒng)神話人物畫、山水畫、動(dòng)物畫、裝飾圖案畫、經(jīng)變畫等。

The murals of the Mogao Caves form aunique system and are numerous， encompassingdonor portraits， traditional mythological figures，landscapes， animals， decorative patterns， and sutratransformations from various periods of Chinesehistory.

莫高窟的營造及其歷史變遷與當(dāng)?shù)赜猩钸h(yuǎn)影響的世族和大姓緊密相連。為了虔誠奉佛、功德不絕，也為留名后世或顯示家族名望，這些世族和大姓為修建或維護(hù)莫高窟出資出力，被稱作“供養(yǎng)人”。他們的肖像、姓名和事跡被精心繪制在石窟中，為后人的研究留下了豐富且寶貴的歷史線索。

The construction and historical evolution of theMogao Caves are closely linked to influential localclans and prominent families. In order to devoutlyworship the Buddha， accumulate merit， or leave alegacy for future generations， these clans and familiescontributed funds and efforts to build or maintainthe Mogao Caves， earning them the title of “donors.”Their portraits， names， and deeds were carefullydepicted in the caves， leaving behind rich andvaluable historical clues for future research.

除了供養(yǎng)人物畫，莫高窟中還有大量反映古代經(jīng)濟(jì)生活面貌的壁畫。在農(nóng)牧業(yè)領(lǐng)域，壁畫描繪了耕作、收獲、捕魚、家畜飼養(yǎng)、狩獵、莊園與寺院收貨等場景，提供了農(nóng)耕與寺院經(jīng)濟(jì)的直觀信息。在手工業(yè)領(lǐng)域，壁畫展現(xiàn)了鐵匠、釀酒師、制陶匠、紡線工、織褐工、鞋匠、皮匠、畫匠、伎匠、塑匠、紙匠、木匠、石匠、打窟人、金銀匠、弓匠、踏碓師等多種職業(yè)。在商業(yè)領(lǐng)域，屠房、肉坊、酒肆、旅店、金銀行、木行、弓行等呈現(xiàn)了古代敦煌地區(qū)的商業(yè)景象。

In addition to donor portraits， the Mogao Cavesalso feature a large number of murals reflecting theeconomic life of ancient times. In the agriculturaland pastoral fields， scenes depict farming， harvesting，fishing， animal husbandry， hunting， manors， andtemples， providing vivid information on agricultureand temple economics. In the field of handicrafts，various occupations such as the blacksmith， winemaker，potter， spinner， weaver， shoemaker， leatherworker，painter， performer， sculptor， papermaker， carpenter，mason， cave digger， silversmith， bow maker， and milloperater are showcased. In the commercial sector，scenes of butcher shops， slaughterhouses， taverns，inns， pawnlHS3aN/ZXbaU0IiKDzqO9gfSY+PzpAgJpYSHA/C79Dw=shops， timber yards， bow shops， and othercommercial establishments present the commerciallandscape of ancient Dunhuang region.

此外，《法華經(jīng)變》《涅槃經(jīng)變》等壁畫還提供了古代軍隊(duì)操練、出征、討伐、攻守的作戰(zhàn)圖，以及兵器裝備的相關(guān)資料。壁畫中還有豐富的體育活動(dòng)，如騎射、馬術(shù)、相撲、舉重（舉象或舉鐘）、弈棋、投壺、武術(shù)、游泳、蹴鞠等，不僅展現(xiàn)了古人體育娛樂活動(dòng)的豐富多彩，也體現(xiàn)了他們健康向上的生活態(tài)度。

Additionally， murals such as those depictingLotus Sutra Transformations and Nirvana SutraTransformations provide scenes of ancient militarytraining， expeditions， campaigns， and defense， alongwith related information on weapons and equipment.The murals also feature rich sporting scenesincluding archery， equestrian skills competition，sumo wrestling， weightlifting （lifting elephants orlifting bells）， chess， pitching the pot， martial arts，swimming， and Cuju （a form of ancient Chinesefootball）， showcasing not only the ancient people’sabundant sporting and recreational activities but alsoreflecting their positive and healthy lifestyle attitudes.

莫高窟壁畫在音樂和舞蹈藝術(shù)方面也具有極高的價(jià)值。在音樂方面，莫高窟的音樂題材洞窟有200余個(gè)，繪有眾多樂隊(duì)、樂伎及樂器。其中，不同類型樂隊(duì)有500多組，各類樂器40余種，共計(jì)4500多件。這些壁畫與藏經(jīng)洞文獻(xiàn)中的曲譜和其他音樂資料相互印證，揭示了古代音樂的輝煌成就。

The murals in the Mogao Caves also holdsignificant value in the realm of music and dance.In the realm of music， there are over 200 cavesdepicting musical themes， featuring numerousensembles， musicians， and musical instruments.Among them， there are over 500 sets of differenttypes of ensembles and more than 40 kinds ofmusical instruments， totaling over 4，500 pieces.These murals， along with musical scores and othermusic-related materials found in the LibraryCave documents， mutually corroborate eachother， revealing the splendid achievementsof ancient music.

在舞蹈藝術(shù)方面，壁畫中有各種舞樂場景和舞蹈形象，涵蓋西域、民間、宮廷、仙界等多種風(fēng)格。盡管古代的舞譜我們現(xiàn)在仍無法解讀，但這些場景和形象無疑提供了研究古代舞蹈藝術(shù)的寶貴資料。

In the realm of dance art， the muralsdepict various dance scenes and dancefigures， encompassing a variety of stylesincluding those from the Western Regions，folk traditions， palace settings， and celestialrealms. Although the ancient dance scoresremain undecipherable to us today， thesescenes and figures undoubtedly providevaluable materials for the study of ancient dance art.此外，莫高窟中還保存了十分豐富的建筑史資料。

壁畫中描繪了自十六國至西夏多種類型的建筑，有佛寺、城垣、宮殿、客棧、烽火臺、橋梁、監(jiān)獄、墳塋等，其中還有豐富的建筑部件和裝飾，如斗拱、柱坊、門窗等，展示了中國古代建筑的風(fēng)格和特點(diǎn)。

Furthermore， the Mogao Caves also preservea wealth of architectural historical materials.The murals depict various types of architecturefrom the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Western Xia，including Buddhist temples， city walls， palaces，inns， beacon towers， bridges， prisons， tombs， andmore. Additionally， there are abundant architecturalcomponents and decorations depicted， such asbrackets， memorial archways， doors， and windows，showcasing the styles and characteristics of ancientChinese architecture.

敦煌莫高窟，這座中國古代文明的藝術(shù)寶庫，為我們呈現(xiàn)了完整的中國佛教藝術(shù)發(fā)展史和真實(shí)的中國古代社會風(fēng)貌，讓千年后的我們真切感受到歷史的鮮活與生動(dòng)。

The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang， a treasury ofancient Chinese civilization， present us with a completehistory of the development of Chinese Buddhist art andan authentic portrayal of ancient Chinese social life，allowing us， millennia later， to vividly experience thevitality and richness of history.