Discussion on the Painting in Cave 254 of Mogao Grottoes

Cave 254 of the Mogao Grottoes is one of the most representative grottoes from the Northern Wei Dynasty. The painting of “Laying Down Oneself to Feed the Tiger” on the south wall of the grotto has high artistic value. With changing dynasties and the development of time, the original appearance of the painting has changed. In particular, the color of the whole cave has undergone a subversive change, resulting in many misunderstandings. In this article, the composition, colors, and lines of the painting, “Laying Down Oneself to Feed the Tiger,” are discussed in view of the current situation of the cave, and the work is approached from the perspective of painting. The concept of different times of the same painting, its precise and unique layout, as well as development peak of “Laying Down Oneself to Feed the Tiger” are expounded. In this article, the unique artistic level of this mural in the Northern Dynasty is demonstrated along with its importance for present paintings.

THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN EARTHEN LANDSCAPE HERITAGE AND SOCIO-POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY: A VIEW FROM ARCHAEOLOGY

In the past two decades, landscape archaeology has undergone a paradigm shift from traditional theoretical methods to being practically oriented, with the advent of the widespread application of philosophical theories (such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, and others) and the emerging new technologies in social sciences. Nevertheless, landscape archaeology has not been able to garner the attention it requires from Chinese archaeology, which fails to understand its significance behind the systematic regional survey methods. Rather, for a long time, the study of the man-land relationship has been considered to be a part of environmental archaeology. Besides, the landscape elements in archaeological excavations were often considered as mechanical interactions between people and the environment, resulting in a lack of holistic and systematic research on a selection of archaeological sites. The focus however has remained restricted to the earthen remains and relics in the archaeological process. The Northern Wei Dynasty was the first nomadic regime to control the Central Plains in the Chinese history and moved its capital three times for the purpose of sinicization. The recent archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Shengle, imperial palaces, tombs, sacrificial sites, gardens, Yinshan palaces, and the border defense facilities during the Shengle period of the Northern Wei Dynasty have revealed several phenomena and evidence of the cultural integration of the various ethnic groups. As mentioned earlier, the limitations in the research horizon have led to the in-depth analysis and research of archaeological relics and archaeological data during this period seeking the desired attention. This study considers landscape archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and history as the primary research methods pertinent to the above situation. It considers archaeological relics and archaeological data from the prosperous period as the research object and thoroughly analyses the relationship between the people and the earthen landscape relics, to reveal the social culture, the religious beliefs, the politics, and the military behind the integration of the multi-ethnic culture, along with the cognition of the natural environments, the social structures, and the religious spaces. Simultaneously, the analysis results would also endeavor to integrate the artifacts, the relics (space, structure, layout, and locational relationship), road grids, surrounding environment, and several other surface space elements to restore and reproduce the prosperous social and cultural situations scenes of the bygone period. The final outcome shall become a typical research case. By comparing and combing the archaeological discoveries of the Northern and the Southern Dynasties of China and the pertinent archaeological data, we could further understand and explain the multi-ethnic cultural development and evolution while providing an essential theoretical basis for the present social and cultural research on the Northern Wei Dynasty in China.

On the early lokapāla statues in the Buddhist sculptures unearthed in Chengdu

In recent years, some lokapāla statues which might be carved in the Liang dynasty of the Southern Dynasties are unearthed in Chengdu area, the features of which have some differences from that of the lokapāla statues of the northern system found in Khotan, Dunhuang and other areas; they have some similarities with the early lokapāla statues of the Northern Wei dynasty, but also have some differences. The early lokapālas in the Buddhist scriptures have only names and titles with little concrete descriptions; the archaeologically discovered lokapāla statues enriched our understandings of this motif.