Longmen Grottoes 龍門石窟 were built between the fifthe and the eighth century, over a period of nearly three hundred years. The remains today still reflect vividly the intense vitality of the people and the free merging of races and cultures of the time. Many of theremaining sculptures and murals have Buddhist themes and are the works of artists from the Five Minorities: Xingnu 匈奴, Xianbei 鮮卑, Jie 羯, Di 氐, and Qiang 羌. They show a vigorous civilization in progress, and provide valuable background to the study of ancient Chinese history.
