This episode first reviews the heights achieved in the carving of Caves 5 & 6, which were both royal projects, and include the best of the carvings done in the grottoes.
It then explains how the later caves were carved, beginning with Caves 1 & 2, and then the huge Cave 3, which displaced some 76,000 sq metres of stone in its excavation. These stones were then used to construct a ceremonial building to the north.
The last of the caves were constructed after the Emperor moved his capital 1,000km south to Louyang, and were not royal projects at all, but done by wealthy individuals for a variety of purposes, mainly commemorative. This episode completes the history of the construction of the caves.
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