Unmissable Dunhuang

Yin Bo

Yin Bo， Master of Fine Arts and librarian at the Dunhuang Academy，" is mainly engaged in art research of the Dunhuang Grottoes.

This book is divided into three chapters. The first chapter tells the story of the opening of the Dunhuang Grottoes， as well as the cultural knowledge and artistic characteristics of the times. The second chapter is a tour of classic grottoes， which takes readers on an immersive tour of the caves. The author lists in detail the unmissable scenery and statue details of each grotto and tells the historical stories related to them. In the last chapter， readers are called upon to protect the grotto， love the grotto， and think about the caves.

Unmissable Dunhuang

Yin Bo

Jiangsu Phoenix Fine Arts Publishing House

May 2024

98.00 (CNY)

Cave 285 (Western Wei Period) is one of the three remaining Chan meditation grottoes in the Mogao Grottoes and is the largest and best-preserved among them. Not only does the architectural style of the grotto represent a new creation from the Western Wei period， but the content and style within also exhibit distinctive diversity. In the center of the grotto， there is a low square platform， and the west wall has three arched niches. The lower levels of the south and north walls each have four small meditation caves， each accommodating one person. It is generally believed that this cave was funded by Yuan Rong， a Xianbei noble from the Central Plains sent by the Western Wei court， as mentioned in the Inscription of Li Huaizhang Restoring the Buddha Niches of Mogao Grottoes， referring to him as “Dongyang King，” saying “Lezun and Faliang established it， Jianping and Dongyang prompted it.”

On the north wall of the main chamber， there is a votive inscription. From the ink inscription， we know that the construction of this grotto took place around the fourth and fifth year of Datong (538--539) in the Western Wei period， making it the earliest dated grotto in Dunhuang. In archaeology， such accurately dated grottos are called “standard caves.” Other grottos without precise dates can be studied and dated based on comparisons of architectural style， subject matter， painting style， and historical context with these standard caves.

The ceiling of the grotto bears a striking resemblance to the ceiling of Cave 249 from the same period， featuring swirling clouds and various mythical creatures from ancient Chinese legends. The central ceiling caisson is adorned with a lotus pattern， surrounded by a plane painting imitating stacked caisson layers， giving a gradual ascent feeling when looking up. The south section depicts the wind god Feilian and the rain god Jimeng， who has a dragon’s head， a human body， bird claws， and feathered arms. Below are images of mythical figures like Wuhuo (warrior)， flying immortals， Zhuque (the Vermilion Bird)， and feathered beings. The west section features celestial children holding fresh flowers， with thunder gods on both sides who have tiger heads， human bodies， bird claws， and green feathers under their arms. Below are scenes of monkeys climbing mountains and celestial beings riding on Luan (a mythical bird like the phoenix). The north section depicts various figures like flying immortals， Feilian stirring up winds， Jimeng spewing clouds， the thunder god wielding an iron rod， and human-faced bird-bodied Qianqiu.

Encircling the cave just below the ceiling are 35 images of meditating monks. Clad in robes， making dhyanasana mudra， they sit cross-legged in grass huts hidden among overlapping mountains and trees， reflecting the Northern Zen cultivation of “meditating in mountain caves.”

The west wall features three niches， one large and two small. The central large niche houses a Buddha statue from the Western Wei period. The Buddha， draped in an earthy red robe， sits with legs hanging down on a throne. The smaller side niches contain rare statues of meditating monks in the Dunhuang Grottoes. The existing monk statue on the south side sits cross-legged， wearing a full-shoulder robe and a wind hat， with a serene expression. The accurately sculpted and natural body contours under the robe exhibit a sense of solidity and stability. The upper part of the niche’s outer wall depicts multiple Dharma protector deities from Buddhist cosmology， including the aditya， candra， stars， Maheshvara， Vishnu， Kumara， and Vinayaka. Additionally， there are attendant bodhisattvas， the Four Heavenly Kings， heterodox vasu and other figures， with honeysuckle patterns decorating the bottom niche edge. The painter deliberately used painting techniques from the Western Regions to depict these unique deities from Hinduism and other religions， giving the west wall a distinct exotic charm， both in content and artistic technique， unlike other walls.

The north wall features a horizontal series of eight Buddha images. The Buddha， bodhisattvas， and disciples depicted here markedly differ from earlier periods. They transition from the exposed upper bodies and muscular forms of the Northern Wei period to the long robes and slender bodies characteristic of the Southern Dynasties. The Buddhas are tall and slender with thin faces， narrow eyes， and thin lips， exuding a clear， bright， and ethereal elegance. The bodhisattvas also wear long， flowing robes， and their previously bare feet now don ceremonial shoes. The patrons below the preaching scenes are depicted with delicate features， appearing ethereal. The inscription below the Buddha throne in the first preaching scene on the east records the wishes and time of the cave’s construction.

On both sides of the east wall’s cave entrance， large preaching scenes are painted. The figures in these scenes， like those on the north wall， have faces adorned with rouge， high crowns， large shoes， and robes and shawls that billow at their sides.

Below the celestial musicians on the south wall is the Eye Forest story， also known as the story of the Five Hundred Robbers Becoming Buddhas. Below the story paintings are four small meditation caves. The niches’ lintels between the doors of these meditation caves， from east to west， depict stories such as the novice monk committing suicide to maintain his vows and the story of giving his body upon hearing a verse.

Looking around the entire cave， it is dominated by Central-Plains-style painting. Except for the west wall， which retains Western-Region-style painting， the rest of the content exhibits a clear and carefree new aesthetic typical of the southern regions. The statues and patron portraits have delicate features， slender bodies， and elaborate clothing， embodying the elegant and refined style of the Southern Dynasties. The painter used varied line drawing techniques to reflect the texture of the characters’ skin and clothing， treating different features with greater subtlety. The artworks on the south， north， and east walls， as well as the cave ceiling， are set against light pink backgrounds， with flowing clouds， flying flowers， and traditional Chinese shading techniques in blue， green， red， and black. Compared to Western-Region-style paintings， they feel fresher and more elegant.

This richly detailed and distinctively styled grotto， from its architectural form， subject matter， and artistic style to its artistic conception and aesthetic ideals， embodies the exchange and fusion of Chinese Han culture and Western Region ethnic cultures. It is a cave that marks a new milestone and turning point in Chinese Buddhist art， carrying special significance.

Unmissable Flying Celestial Musicians Under the South Wall Hanging Curtains of Cave 285

In a scene of swirling clouds and spinning flowers， twelve flying celestial musicians face the Buddha， one following another in lighthearted song and dance. Some rest their cheeks on one hand while extending the other， some play the konghou (an ancient plucked string instrument)， some savor the lingering sound of the ruanxian (a type of lute)， some pluck the pipa (a Chinese lute)， some blow the bamboo sheng (a mouth-blown free reed instrument)， some play the panpipe， some beat the waist drum， some blow the bili (a double-reed wind instrument)， and some dance in mid-air， all expressing the joyful realm of music and dance. This lively group of flying celestial musicians represents the classic image of the Southern Dynasties， characterized by thin， long robes and slender， elegant figures.

Unmissable Traditional Chinese Gods on the East Ceiling of Cave 285

In the center of the east ceiling section are two strong men holding a Mani pearl. These bare-bodied， scarf-draped strongmen hold lotus stalks， from which precious six-sided Mani pearls emerge. On either side of the Mani pearl are Fuxi and Nüwa， each adorned with three tufts of hair on their heads， human faces， and dragon bodies， wearing large-sleeved garments and fluttering scarves， flying through the air. Fuxi holds a gui (instrument for drawing circles)， and Nüwa holds a square and ink marker， each with a large circular wheel on their chest. Fuxi’s wheel features a three-legged crow symbolizing the sun， while Nüwa’s wheel depicts a toad symbolizing the moon. Below Fuxi is Wuhuo， a strongman with a beast’s head， a human body， bird claws， and feathered arms， capable of carrying a bronze cauldron. Below Nüwa is the wind god， also called Feilian， depicted with a donkey’s head and a deer’s body. Below Feilian is the “Heavenly Emperor” from Kaiming， with a unique appearance of thirteen heads， human faces， a dragon body， and feathered arms.

Unmissable Dharma Protectors on Both Sides of West Wall Niches of Cave 285

The niches on the north and south sides of the central niche on the west wall feature many Buddhist Dharma Protector deities， differing from typical Buddhist deities as these figures are absorbed and transformed from Zoroastrianism or Hinduism. The upper part of the north side depicts Maheshvara， with a black body， three heads， and six arms， riding on a blue bull. Below， on the right， is the four-armed Kumara riding a peacock， with a Xianbei-style topknot. On the left is the elephant-headed human-bodied Vinayaka， holding his nose in one hand and an object in the other， sitting alongside Kumara.

On the south side of the central niche is the three-headed， eight-armed Narayana. Each of the three heads has different colors and expressions， with the colors of the four raised hands matching those of the heads. Below Narayana are two deities dressed as bodhisattvas. The right deity， with three eyes and a jewel crown， is likely Indra. The left deity is offering flowers to the Buddha.

Unmissable， the Eye Forest Story on the South Wall of Cave 285

In ancient India， there was a place where 500 bandits frequently robbed the local people， causing great distress. Upon learning of this， the king sent soldiers to capture them. After a fierce battle with the soldiers， the bandits were finally apprehended. According to the local laws， the bandits were subjected to severe punishment: their eyes were gouged out， and they were exiled to the depths of the mountains. The bandits， suffering from pain and fear， lingered in agony， helpless and hopeless. Shakyamuni Buddha， through his divine power， became aware of this and went to the forest with his disciples. He blew medicinal powder from Mount Scent into the eyes of the 500 blind bandits. Soon， the bandits regained their sight without any pain and were able to see the Buddha. After healing their eyes， Shakyamuni Buddha preached to them about Samsara karma and the suffering of human life. Upon hearing the Buddha’s preaching， the bandits decided to abandon their evil ways， shave their heads， and become devout disciples of Buddhism.

This large story painting， over six meters long， depicts multiple scenes. The painting represents the 500 bandits with five figures. The bandits， armed with knives， shields， and bows， are shown in fierce combat with the helmeted soldiers. The soldiers are dressed in red jackets， white trousers， gaiters， and riding boots， wearing gold-plated armor and waist belts， and riding armored horses. After successfully defeating the bandits， the captured bandits with their eyes dug out are exiled naked to the mountains， where they are depicted either covering their eyes or running wildly in madness. Once healed by the Buddha， the bandits are shown neatly dressed， respectfully listening to the Buddha’s teachings and practicing diligently.

In the painting， the bandits’ miserable and desperate situation contrasts sharply with the carefree， playful state of the birds and beasts roaming the mountains and forests.

Unmissable， the Mountain and Forest Scene Below the Ceiling of Cave 285

In the forest， cows are drinking water， antelopes are frolicking， wild boars are climbing cliffs， and foxes are gazing from the mountain tops. Elsewhere， deer leap between mountain peaks， roosters fight on rooftops， cranes fly in the sky， tigers pounce on goats， and hungry tigers eye white rabbits. There are also monkeys climbing mountains to pick fruits， donkeys with tied legs， hunters shooting wild oxen， and Hu people catching goats. Amidst this vibrant scene of mountain life， monks are depicted sitting in meditation， wrapped in their robes， eyes closed in a state of deep dhyanasana.

The painter used contrast and juxtaposition to emphasize the high level of spiritual practice of the meditating monks. This depiction serves as an inspiring example for real-life practitioners， showing their unwavering focus on the path of seeking enlightenment.