As previously mentioned, the motivation behind my entire trip to Henan was visiting the Longmen Grottoes. Let me start by saying that it was entirely worth it. Even if the trip hadn't been as wonderful and productive as it was, the grottoes would have compensated for everything--they managed to even exceed my high expectations. While I'm going to let my photos do most of the talking, they really can't capture the sensation of being on-site.
For starters, if you want to read up on the grottoes, you can begin with the
UNESCO Cultural Heritage Website. Upon request, if you want to practice your Chinese I can also send you an essay I wrote last semester on one of the caves (woo!). Excuse me while I nerd-out, but here are a few key points (from the aforementioned source):
- The caves divide into four periods
- Period 1 (493-534): Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital to Luoyang in 493, and commissioned the earliest caves
- Period 2 (524-626): Some small caves were carved
- Period 3 (626): Majority of the Tang Dynasty caves were carved, which are considered to be the site's artistic highpoint
- Period 4 (755-1124): Late Tang-Northern Song period, decline in cave carving
- The caves are limestone
- Is considered to be the apex of Chinese cave statuary
- Total of 2,345 niches or grottoes, which house over 100,000 Buddhist statues, roughly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, and over 60 Buddhist pagodas
- There are 3 sources of damage to the caves:
- A number of statues were decapitated or extracted by early 20th century collectors (ending up in museums such as the Met in NYC, the Nelson Atkins in Kansas City, and the Tokyo National Museum)
- Other statues were mutilated during anti-Buddhist purges or the Cultural Revolution (1966-76)
- Natural weather-related damange
The largest and most famous cave at Longmen is Fengxiansi (奉先寺), which was commissioned in the Tang Dynasty by Tang Gaozong (唐高宗) and Wu Zetian (武则天), the latter being the sole female empress in Chinese history. Amazingly enough, the cave was completed in only four years. It was built not only to promote Buddhism, but also to protect the area from Tibetan attacks.
Although every cave is magnificent and each of its figures are masterfully carved, this cave truly is something else. Gazing up at its five-story Lushina (Losana) Buddha was an ethereal experience. The refined carving, the attentiveness to the human form, the range of facial expressions, the variation in line, and the exquisite detail all express the love, passion, and faith of their carvers and commissioners.
No comments:
Post a Comment