Over a thousand years ago, Buddhism was introduced from ancient India to the western part of China. The earliest Buddhism in the western region was born in the Qiuci region of Aksu in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The well-preserved Kizil Grottoes here maintained the glory of Buddhism, and became an important bridge for Buddhism to spread to Central China.

The number of early cave murals it has preserved far exceeds that of the Bamiyan Grottoes in Afghanistan, making it China's second Dunhuang.