Located 40 kilometers southwest of the city of Taiyuan, Tianlong Mountain is famous for its beautiful combination of natural landscapes and artistic beauty that blends forests and springs with grottoes and temples. The Tianlong Mountain Grottoes were first carved during the Eastern Wei Dynasty (A.D. 534-550) in the Northern Dynasties period. During the Northern Qi, Sui, Tang and Ming dynasties, more grottoes were carved to form their present scale. The grottoes are divided into two main sections: the major grottoes halfway up the mountain and the Thousand Buddha Caves near a brook at the foot of the mountain.[Chinaa.org.cn/VCG]