And this was a big project. Personally I think that the site was chosen because the cliffs are made from a very carveable rock, which had already begun to be carved out by the cave dwellers and provided a head start to the process. But this is just a guess. At any rate, the monks proceeded to carve out a one-kilometer long stretch of caves with very large Buddhas, many of which just happen to resemble the emperor du jour. They all look like nice guys to me, in fact, I think I'm a convert.
Timing is everything.
Yesterday I arrived in Datong,China's ugliest and dirtiest city, tired and dirty and ready for a long sleep in preparation for my fourtieth birthday. The Yungang Hotel looked just great. Hot water and everything, and a business center where I could send dispatches on my adventures of the previous days. I picked up the phone, and after being passed to someone who spoke English, was told that they would stop the work. Needless to say, it didn't stop.