| Chapter No. | Chapter Title | Chapter Author | Page No. |
| PERFACE | | 7 |
| TUN-HUANG OVER THE CENTURIES | | |
| Terror of the terrain and quest of the beyond | | 13 |
| The deep sands and imperial dreams | | 13 |
| Emperor Mu (r. 1001-945 BC), | | |
| Emperor Ch'ien Shih-huang-ti (r. 221-208 BC), | | |
| Emperor Wu (r. 140-87 BC), Chang Ch'ien, Hsiung-nu defeated in 119 BC, Four Commanderies in 111 BC | | |
| Permanent Chinese Settlement in the Kansu Corridor | | 15 |
| Yueh-Chih introduced Buddhist Sutras | | 16 |
| Yueh-Chih Dharmaraksa (AD 230-308, active in 268-308) | | |
| as the first great translator | | 17 |
| The Sutra Route | | 19 |
| Khotan as a source of jade and sutras | | 19 |
| Tun-huang in a Niya document of AD 269 | | 20 |
| TUN- HUANG: GALAXY OF DIVINE IMAGES | | |
| Yueh-ts'us's disciple excavates the first cave in Ad 366 | | 21 |
| Avatamsaka and Tun-huang | | 22 |
| Radiant memories in folk legends | | 22 |
| Five-colour Maiden | | 23 |
| Drops of amrta tipped off by Avalokitesvara in the river near Tun- huang | | 24 |
| First period of the caves (AD 397-581) | | 24 |
| Early Caves | | 25 |
| Northern Wei (AD 439-534) | | 25 |
| Sung-yun of Tun-huang | | 26 |
| Western Wei (AD 535-556) | | 26 |
| Second period of the Caves (AD 581-907) | | 28 |
| Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618) | | 29 |
| Early T'ang (ADD 618-704) | | 31 |
| The Northern and Southern Colossi | | 33 |
| Tun-huang as a strategic centre (AD 705-780) | | 34 |
| Flourishing T'ang (AD 705-780) | | 34 |
| Middle T'ang when Tibetans rule Tun- huang from AD 781 to 847 | | 35 |
| Late T'ang (AD 848-907) | | 38 |
| Third period of the caves (AD 907-1368) | | 39 |
| Tun- huang as the diaspora of Khotan after its Islamisation | | 40 |
| Tiger Monk | | 42 |
| Jade beauties to flying devis | | 45 |
| Thousand Buddhas | | 48 |
| TUN-HUANG PAINTINGS IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM | | |
| Lord Buddha (ill. 1-10) | | 51 |
| Famous Buddhist images (ill. 11) | | 62 |
| Amitabha: Buddha of Infinite Light (ill. 12-21) | | 82 |
| Bhaisajyaguru: the Buddha of Healing (ill. 22) | | 99 |
| Maitreya Bodhisattva (ill. 23) | | 106 |
| Avalokitesvara: the Supernal Compassion (ill. 24-35) | | 108 |
| Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara (ill. 37-44) | | 126 |
| Thousand- armed Avalokitesvara: Kinesis of the Measureless (ill. 45-51) | | 138 |
| Sun-Moon Analokitesvara (ill. 52-55) | | 161 |
| Tiger Monk | | 168 |
| Manjusl (ill.57-59) | | 170 |
| Ksitigarbha (ill. 60-63) | | 174 |
| Five Transcendental Bodhisattvas (ill. 64-68) | | 182 |
| Votive Bodhisattvas (ill. 69-130) | | 190 |
| The Four Lokapalas (ill.131-140) | | 242 |
| Vajrapani Dharmapala (ill. 141-142) | | 256 |
| Seven Treasures of the State (ill. 143) | | 258 |
| LITERATURE CITED | | 259 |
| CHRONOLOGICAL FOOTHOLDS | | 264 |
| CHINESE DYNASTIES | | 267 |
| CONCORDANCE OF CH., STEIN, NATIONAL MUSEUM AND BOOK NUMBERS | | 268 |
| INDEX | | 275 |
