According to legend, a Buddhist monk named Yue Zun (乐僔和尚), established the Mogao shrine in the desert oasis after seeing beams of light there. He is said to have cut out the first cave and the first statue of Buddha.

Fresco painting, from Mogao Grottoes

Detail of a legend, from Mogao Grottoes

Hunting scene, from Mogao Grottoes

The Mogao Caves or Mogao Grottoes (Chinese: 莫高窟), also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas (Chinese: 千佛洞), form a system of 492 temples 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road.

The National Library of China (中国国家图书馆) or NLC in Beijing is the national library of the People's Republic of China. With a collection of over 31.1 million items, it is the largest library in Asia and one of the largest in the world. It holds the largest and diverse collections of Chinese literature and historical documents in the world.

The Diamond Sūtra is a Mahāyāna (Buddhist) sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā, or "Perfection of Wisdom" genre, and emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment. The full Sanskrit title of this text is the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra.

The Northern Wei (Chinese: 北魏; pinyin: Běi Wèi), also known as the Tuoba Wei (拓跋魏), Later Wei (後魏), or Yuan Wei (元魏), was a dynasty founded by the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei, which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 (de jure until 535).

Dunhuang (Chinese: 敦煌; pinyin: Dūnhuáng, also as simplified Chinese: 炖煌; traditional Chinese: 燉煌; pinyin: Dūnhuáng in ancient times meaning 'Blazing Beacon') is a county-level city (pop. 187,578 (2000)) in northwestern Gansu province, Western China. It was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for the nearby Dunhuang Caves. It has also been known at times as Shāzhōu (沙州), or 'City of Sands', "or Dukhan as the Turkis call it."