The poster for A Smile Through Millennia. [Photo provided to silkroadexpo.gogansu.com]

A special exhibition of the Maijishan Grottoes named A Smile Through Millennia opened at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Taiwan province on Dec 14.

Jointly organized by multiple cultural foundations and research institutes from across the Strait, the exhibition presents a visual feast highlighting history, art, and culture.

The exhibition features 20 cultural relics, 80 high-fidelity reproductions, three full-scale replica caves, and 12 digital exhibits from the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute.

It is structured around four thematic sections, comprehensively presenting the historical lineage and artistic mastery of Maijishan, from its place on the Silk Road to the craftsmanship behind its creation and its enduring conservation.

As the final installment in a series on China's four great grottoes at the venue, this exhibition is seen as both a cross-millennium artistic dialogue and a cultural resonance across the Strait.

It aims to give visitors the chance to appreciate traditional Chinese culture and feel a shared cultural root. The exhibition will run for six months, lasting until June 28, 2026.

A related academic lecture was also held, explaining how the grottoes' sculptures, over 1,600 years old, vividly illustrate the process of Buddhist art Sinicization — integrating with indigenous Chinese culture and ultimately becoming a key part of traditional Chinese heritage.