Dunhuang murals feature monkeys 1,400 years ago

Dunhuang Research Academy has released a series of photos of grotto paintings that depict monkeys to mark the Spring Festival, China's Lunar New Year. According to China's lunar calendar, 2016 is the Year of the Monkey. The academy is an institution responsible for conservation, management and research at the Mogao Grottoes (a World Cultural Heritage site at Dunhuang), the Yulin Grottoes (a nationally protected key cultural heritage site at Guazhou), and the Western Thousand-Buddha Grottoes at Dunhuang. The institution said some wall paintings featuring monkeys had a history of 1,400 years. [Photo provided by Dunhuang Research Academy]