Murals from Mogao Grottoes come to life in animations

Several stories depicted on the murals of the Mogao Grottoes, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in Northwest China's Gansu province, have been brought to life through animations to draw more younger fans.

The animations adapted from the mural stories consist of five episodes, each running less than five minutes, and were jointly launched this week by the Dunhuang Academy, which administers the Mogao Grottoes, and tech giant Tencent.

Visitors can watch the animations on a mini-program on social media platform WeChat.

"We will continue to tell, interpret and spread stories of the age-old murals in a professional and vivid way to make more people understand and love Dunhuang culture," said Zhao Shengliang, the head of the academy.

The Mogao Grottoes are home to collections of Buddhist artwork -- more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals -- in 735 caves carved along a cliff by ancient worshippers.

They were first constructed in 366 AD For more than 1,000 years, the site was a popular travelers' stop and a religious shrine on the ancient Silk Road.