The Sui and Tang Dynasties were the heyday of the development of Mogao Grottoes. There are more than 200 existing caves, which are divided into Sui Dynasty, early Tang Dynasty, middle Tang Dynasty, prosperous Tang Dynasty and late Tang Dynasty. Zen Grottoes and Central Pagoda Grottoes gradually disappeared during this period, but at the same time, a large number of forms appeared, such as palace grottoes, Buddhist altar grottoes, four-walled three-niche grottoes and elephant grottoes, among which the number of palace grottoes was the largest.
Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties are the glorious periods of Dunhuang history and culture. Dunhuang became the "confidant of China" (played by Chu Suiliang, an important official in the prosperous Tang Dynasty), and Shazhou returned to the army as the resident of our time, which was the place of "saving time and building officials" and the military and political center of northwest China.
Dunhuang is "the transportation hub of China and the West, the holy city of religious prosperity and the city with extremely prosperous culture".
Xixia is a turning point in the historical and cultural development of Dunhuang from prosperity to decline. In the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty, Xixia ruled Dunhuang. As Xixia had always been the enemy of the Northern Song Dynasty, Western countries and Western Asian European merchant missions were prevented from paying tribute to the Northern Song Dynasty through Dunhuang and doing business with the Central Plains.
By the end of Xixia, Dunhuang, as a transportation hub between China and the West, as a metropolis for economic and cultural exchanges between China and the West, no longer existed, and its economic and cultural education was far behind the mainland, losing its former prosperity and advanced. Meng Yuan: Dunhuang is just a supply station at the fork of the traffic line from the mainland to the western regions.