Summary The Tun-huang Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, located in Kan-su Province in Western China, contain numerous examples of Jataka paintings from the Northern Liang to the Sui periods. This study will identify the subject matters of the various Jataka paintings and examine the relationship between the scenes and their scriptural sources, and based on this the arrangement of each scene and by what method the narrative flow is developed.
Based on the position of their caves and other factors, Tun-huang Jataka paintings can be divided into two time groups. The "early period" runs from Northern Liang to Sui，the "late period" from mid-Tang on. There appear to be no Jataka paintings produced between these two periods. In both periods there are only a few kinds of Jataka paintings;Prince Mahasattva Jataka (the Jataka of the Tigress) and King Sivi Jataka paintings are numerous, while Prince Sujati Jataka paintings are also seen. Prince Visvantara Jataka, Syama Jataka, and Deer King Ruru Jataka paintings appear only in the early period，while with one exception Prince Kalyanakari Jataka paintings appear only in the late period. The related narratives of the Story of Utpalavarna and the Story of the Five Hundred Robbers can be seen in the early period.
The mainstream of Tun-huang Jataka wall painting of the early period is based on the frieze format of narrative development. Inside the frieze format are three types：(I) contrastive development from both the left and right sides;(II) one-way continuous development;(III) use of a multi- level frieze in which the narrative zigzage alternately between the levels.
Among all the caves with Jataka paintings in a frieze- type pictorial format，Cave 296 has the most highly developed examples. The Prince Kalyanakari Jataka and the Story of Utpalavarna paintings in a two-level frieze around the ceiling are of a new type. With the exception of the Story of the Five Hundred Robbers, all of the narratives found in Cave 296 are based on the Hsien-yu-ching sutra. Jataka paintings, which their peak in the Sui period，cease to be painted again on a large scale until their revival in the mid-Tang.
