Ten expats from eight countries visited Bingling Temple Grottoes, a world cultural site in Yongjing county of Gansu province, on July 11, during their five-day Explore Gansu trip.

Expats pose for a group photo at the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing county, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province on July 11. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

This hidden gem boasts 216 extant grottoes, 815 stone statues, several 1,000-square-meter murals, 56 stupas, and 438 cultural relics.

A large Buddhist statue is seen at the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing county of Gansu province. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

Bingling means one hundred thousand Buddha in the Tibetan language. The grottoes are in two temples, upper and lower, and are distributed on the cliff that is 2 kilometres long from north to south, borders on the Yellow River and is strategically located and difficult to access.

The biggest statue is 27 metres high, and the smallest one is only over 20 centimetres. About two thirds of them are the works of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In addition, there is another square stone pagoda, and four mud pagodas.