LANZHOU, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A photo collection of the Kizil Caves in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and wall paintings of the caves preserved overseas was released on Tuesday in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province.
The collection includes more than 300 pictures of the caves and the wall paintings from over 20 museums and galleries in eight countries collected by the Qiuci Research Institute in Xinjiang since 1998.
Jointly compiled by the Qiuci Research Institute, Dunhuang Studies Institute and the school of arts at Lanzhou University, the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin, Germany, and the Hermitage Museum in Russia, the collection is expected to display the culture and arts along the ancient Silk Road to the public and provide valuable materials for researchers.
Built in the third century, the Kizil Caves is a typical Qiuci grotto located near Kizil Township in Xinjiang, representing one of China's earliest large-scale grotto groups. With its unique architectural design and mural paintings, the Kizil Caves reveals the history of Buddhism spreading eastward via the western region.
