Buddhism was introduced to China from India along the ancient Silk Road, leaving behind many exquisite grotto statues along the way, from the Kyzyl Grottoes in Xinjiang to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Yulin Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes...
After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline, the economic center moved south, and there were no large-scale grotto statues in the Central Plains.
At this time, Buddhist grotto art entered the river from the Golden Bull Road, and blossomed lotus flowers in the Minjiang, Jialingjiang, Fujiang, Tuojiang, Tsingyijiang and other river basins, leaving a grotto site such as Guangyuan, Jiajiang, Leshan... The stone carvings of Anyue and Dazu in the Two Song Dynasties reached the peak of Chinese grotto art.
Source: Drunken Beauty Qionglai
As the most important distribution area of the grottoes in southern China, Sichuan alone accounts for one-third of the number of existing grottoes in the country. Such a huge group of grottoes is worth exploring.
From March 3rd to 6th, let us follow the grotto art history expert Chang Qing, visit the "National Security" grottoes in Sichuan in depth, and read the grotto statue art of the Country of Heaven.
Traveling Lecturer
Evergreen
University professor, doctoral supervisor, Bachelor's and master's degree in the Department of Archaeology, Peking University, studied Chinese Buddhist archaeology under Mr. Su Bai. Ph.D. in Art History, University of Kansas, USA, Postdoctoral Fellow, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. He is a senior visiting scholar at the Freer-Sackler Museum of Art in Washington, D.C., and a senior visiting scholar at the Florida State Museum.
He has worked in Longmen Grottoes Research Institute, Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Institute of Chinese Buddhist Culture. He has participated in archaeological excavations such as the tombs of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the ruins of Tang Chang'an City, the ruins of Lin'an City in the Southern Song Dynasty, the architectural sites of Yicheng City, and the ruins of Fujian Jianyao. He has investigated and studied important cave temples, monasteries and pagodas in China and India, published 12 monographs on Buddhist art, co-authored 4 kinds, and more than 100 professional papers in Chinese and English.
He is the main lecturer of "10 Lectures on Chinese Grotto Art", "Essential Lectures on Chinese Grotto Art (25 Lectures)", "The Evolution of Buddhist Statue-making Styles", "A Brief History of Chinese Literature and Logistics in a Hundred Years" and "How to Understand an Ancient Chinese Pagoda", with more than 4,200 subscribers, and the 5 series of courses have been unanimously praised by everyone. (Click on the blue course title above to learn more about the first 5 special courses)
Study tours bright spots
■ Expert explanation: The grotto art history expert Teacher Changqing led the whole process, three-dimensional teaching, both academic and interesting
■ Rich content system: salon sharing + field investigation, from the museum to the banks of the mountains and wild rivers, from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, focusing on the tang Dynasty Shuzhong grotto statues
■ Niche study tour: Do not take the usual path, encounter 6 niche national security in the mountains and wilderness, open the treasure sichuan in another way, and interpret the other side of Shu culture
■ Logistics support: four-star hotel accommodation + local rich special meals, excellent tour leaders and professional lecturers accompany, travel is more secure
Special note: Most of the itinerary is in the suburban mountains, if it is affected by temporary traffic control or scenic spot opening, or the driving route and itinerary order will be adjusted to a certain extent
DAY1-2 Destination: Chengdu
Sichuan Museum Wanfo Temple Stone Carving Hall - Northern Zhou Wen Wang Monument and Cliff Statue - Niujiaozhai Grottoes - Sharing Salon
DAY1（3.3）
Accommodation: Included Meals: Not included
Collection of designated hotels in Chengdu
There are no study tours on the day, but you can arrange your own time to arrive and check into the hotel
DAY2 (3.4)
Accommodation: Including Dining: breakfast, lunch and night
★ Sichuan Museum Wanfo Temple Stone Carving Hall
Wanfo Temple is a famous ancient temple in Chengdu, from the Southern Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, more than a thousand years, incense continuously. According to documents and excavated statue inscriptions, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple was named Anpu Temple in the Southern Dynasty, the Jingzhong Temple in the Tang Dynasty, the Jingyin Temple in the Song Dynasty, and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple in the Ming Dynasty, which was destroyed in the war at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Since the excavation of the site of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple in the eighth year of the Qing Dynasty (1882 AD), a large number of stone statues of about 200 pieces have been excavated on four occasions. Among them, most of the fine works are collected in the Sichuan Museum, which is a concentrated display of the results of more than 100 years of stone carvings unearthed in Chengdu Wanfo Temple.
Source: Sichuan Provincial Museum
The stone carvings of wanfo temple occupy an important position in the stone carvings of Sichuan and even the whole country, and are important physical materials for the study of early Buddhist art.
It not only has rich themes, including Buddha statues, bodhisattva statues, statue monuments, statue niches, trick music statues and various architectural components, the carving techniques are delicate and skillful, the lines are smooth, the clothing pattern is complicated, and it is elegant and elegant, reflecting the characteristics of the times of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and showing the culture and art of the peak development of Buddha statues on the mainland.
Lunch Taste specialty Sichuan cuisine
Image source: Photo Network
★ The Northern Zhou Dynasty King Wen Monument and the Great Buddha Rock Cliff Statue
On the bustling Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Post Road, there is an inconspicuous "Stone Buddha Temple", where the famous "Monument of the King wen of northern Zhou" and the statue of the Great Buddha Rock Cliff are located.
The "Monument to king Wen of Northern Zhou" was erected by a Northern Zhou general to posthumously honor Yuwen Tai, the king of Northern Zhou, and has a history of more than 1,400 years, and Kang Youwei once praised it as "exquisite solo music". It is the earliest and best-preserved southern and northern dynasty inscription found in the Yangtze River Basin so far.
Image source: Network
In 2013, it was listed as a "national security" unit. This is the only stone carving in China that has been preserved to this day, recording the history of the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the form of an inscription and singing praises for Yuwen Tai, which is extremely precious. Through the interpretation of the inscriptions, it can provide written evidence for future generations to understand and study the political, military and other systems of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. The cap relief is a suzaku and 4 small Buddha statues.
On the same boulder, in addition to the Northern Zhou WenWang Stele, there are more than ten niches of Moya statues, and there are several inscriptions of descendants, most of which are works of The Tang and five dynasties, and a few are works from the Song to the Qing Dynasty. Inside the Stone Buddha Temple, there is also a statue of Maitreya Buddha that is earlier than the Leshan Giant Buddha, which is also worth seeing.
★ Niujiaozhai Grottoes
The Niujiaozhai Grottoes are a rare group of statues in China that integrates the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Listed as a "national security" unit in 2006, it is a microcosm of the political, economic, cultural and religious arts in the Renshou area during the Sheng and Middle Tang dynasties. There are 101 niches and 1519 statues in existence, most of which are carved and carved, with exquisite skills, which have high historical, artistic and scientific value, and are one of the treasure houses of mainland stone carving art.
Image source: Meishan full search
The most eye-catching thing about the Niujiaozhai Grottoes is a bust of Maitreya Buddha located on the cliff wall of the east cliff of the village, which was built in 707 AD, and cultural relics experts agree that it is one of the blueprints of the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest and only chest Buddha in the country, and is known as "the first chest Buddha in China".
Source: Audiovisual Renshou
There are 18 large Buddhas of more than 10 meters in existence in Sichuan, with different forms, only the Renshou Giant Buddha is very similar to the twin brothers of the Leshan Giant Buddha in the project layout and character form, all of which are Maitreya Buddhas, with clear appearance, plump face, slightly closed mouth, slightly open eyes, eyebrows like a crescent moon, kind eyebrows, looking at the east, looking serene, hair into a spiral, and smooth lines. The excavation date of leshan giant buddha is 6 years late renshou buddha, and Xu is an enlarged version of the renshou giant buddha that has obtained engraving experience in Leshan.
Dinner Taste Sichuan home cooking
Sharing Salon: After dinner, listen to Mr. Changqing share around the "Overview of Sichuan Buddhist Grotto Art" and sort out the historical origins of Sichuan Grottoes
DAY3 Destination: Mianyang City, Chengdu City
Bishui Temple Cliff Statue - Wolong Mountain Thousand Buddha Rock
DAY3（3.5）
★ Bishui Temple cliff statue
Bishui Temple is located on the edge of the bishui rock on the east bank of the Fujiang River in Mianyang City, and is generally difficult to reach. There are more than 20 niche stone statues and inscriptions of the Prajnaparamita Sutra, as well as the largest movable circular carved stone statue of Guanyin in northwest Sichuan.
Source: Under The Fuller Mountains
According to research, the cliff stone statue was first carved in the early Tang Dynasty, and the theme of the statue is Amitabha Buddha and the Fifty-two Bodhisattvas, the Three Saints of the West, etc., and the chronology is clear; the "Diamond Sutra" is inscribed in letters, and the full text is about 4,000 words; the standing statue of the bodhisattva can be traced back to before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the old site of the Kaiyuan Temple in Mianzhou was relocated to the Bishui Temple, which has the characteristics of the Chang'an statue style and the Northern Qi statue from the late Northern Zhou Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty.
Due to its age, most of the statues of Bishui Temple are heavily weathered and eroded, and some of the niches and Kongo sutras are relatively well preserved.
Lunch Taste the game of Sichuan countryside
★ Wolong Mountain Thousand Buddha Rock
At the end of 1939, Liang Sicheng, Liu Dunzhen and others of the China Construction Society surveyed the ancient buildings around Chengdu and Chongqing, and then surveyed a large number of monuments in the Sichuan Basin, and arrived in Zitong on November 25, 1939, visited the Thousand Buddha Rocks of Wolong Mountain the next day, and left ink books on the rock walls outside the East Niches.
Zitong Wolong Mountain is located in the Shu Road Jinniu Road into Chengdu must pass, the mountain road is rugged. Thousand Buddha Rock is located in the valley around the top of Wolong Mountain, and there are nearly 400 Buddha statues in 3 niches. Except for the 1 niche that was carved at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the rest were engraved in the Tang Zhenguan period, because of the original statue of 1189 bodies, so it was named Thousand Buddha Rock.
Source: Silk Road World Heritage Network
The wooden temple outside the shrine was built for the late Qing Dynasty, so that the Thousand Buddha Grottoes have been well preserved, which fully reflects the superb level of stone carving art in the early and middle Tang Dynasties, especially the Amitabha Buddha and the Fifty-two Bodhisattva Shrines are the earliest of the same genre and are very precious.
Dinner Sichuan-style authentic hot pot
DAY4 Destination: Qionglai City
Qionglai Stalagmite Mountain Grottoes - Xinjin Guanyin Temple
DAY3（3.6）
Accommodation: Exclusive Meals: Breakfast, Medium
★ Qionglai Stalagmite Mountain Grottoes
Historically, the circulation of grottoes is often related to transportation, such as dunhuang grottoes to the northern Silk Road, Guangyuan Thousand Buddha Rock to the Golden Bull Road, Bazhong South Niche to Micang Road, and Qionglai when the southern Silk Road is the key to the southern Silk Road, the southern Silk Road from Chengdu, through Qionglai, Ya'an, Xingjing, Xichang, Dechang, Huili into Yunnan, known as the first city on the South Silk Road; Qionglai since ancient times rich in salt, iron, wine, tea, etc., so that merchants from all walks of life to follow, the people are rich, have the financial resources to carry out statue-making activities. It is precisely because of this former "ancient road" that Qionglai has become the most important grotto center in the Chengdu Plain, and entered the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 2006.
Qionglai Stalagmite Mountain Grottoes are the Qionglai area, and can even be said to be the best of the Shuzhong Grottoes, representing the essence of Sichuan grotto art in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.
The statue of the stalagmite mountain is carved from the cliff, and the statue niche is divided into two sections, the northern section is one layer, the southern section is divided into two layers, and the northern section is excavated slightly earlier than the southern section. On the cliff, which is about 120 meters long and about 40 meters high, there are 33 niches in existence, with a total of more than 700 statues. Among them, the northern section is the essence of stalagmite mountain, and the large statue is majestic and spectacular. The reliefs fly in the sky, floating and flying.
In addition to the common themes, the Stalagmite Mountain Grottoes also appeared a large number of terraces, bridges, pools, boats, like a secular style painting, which can glimpse the life of the Tang people.
Lunch Taste The specialties of Qionglai
★ Niitsu Kannon-ji Temple
Niitsu Kannon-ji Temple, the most famous is the highly accomplished murals and statues in its hall, especially the murals on the east and west walls of the Pilu Hall, which are the essence of the temple.
Murals of the Pilu Temple Source: Network
Painted in the fourth year of The Ming Dynasty (1468), the murals of pilu hall include the twelve enlightened bodhisattvas, the twenty-four heavens and thirteen offerings, and the "Xiangshan Quantang" behind the shrine, with a total of 7 shops and 94 square meters. The twelve-circle bodhisattva statue depicted adopts the techniques of "iron line drawing" and "boundary painting", and the figures have smooth lines, symmetrical proportions, plump and delicate, dignified appearance, and well-preserved, which can be compared with the murals of Beijing Fahai Temple and Shanxi Yongle Palace.
Xiangshan Quantang Image source: Network
Among the twelve enlightened bodhisattvas, the most eye-catching is the last statue of the QingjingHui Bodhisattva on the east wall, with a small contemplation, a ruyi in the hand, and the skin is smudged with pearl powder, which fully shows the feminine physical characteristics and inner temperament of the woman. Experts call her the "Mona Lisa of the East" 36 years before Da Vinci's masterpiece.
In the main hall of Guanyin, there are 653 statues from the Ming Dynasty, the main statues of the three major guanyin and five hundred arhats, and behind them there are panoramic deep floating statues of Mount Emei, Putuo Mountain and Wutai Mountain, and the sculpture and composition techniques are magnificent, surging and full of mythology.
The tour ends at about 16:20, and the drop-off is arranged at the end of the tour
Drop-off arrangements and suggested ticket purchase times:
If you are sending a plane to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, please purchase a ticket after 18:40
High-speed rail to Chengdu East Railway Station, please purchase train tickets after 19:00
Time: 3/3-6
Assembly/Dissolution: Chengdu, Sichuan
Suitable for: history and humanities enthusiasts / ancient visitors / grotto enthusiasts / Buddhist art practitioners / archaeology and history professionals
Original price: 4580 yuan / person
Group Price: 4300 yuan / person (2 people and more can enjoy the same report)
*Size is the same price, the age of the tour is recommended between 10-70 years old;
*8 people, 20 people (if there is a single room difference or 1 person floating upwards)
*Registration requires a second confirmation. Please do not purchase high-speed rail/air ticket transportation, wait for customer service notice to complete the trip before arranging the purchase.
Inclusions
1. Transportation: Air-conditioned tour bus throughout the trip
2. Accommodation: 3 nights four-star hotel accommodation (default standard room, if you need a single room, please contact customer service to make up the difference between the single room)
3. Catering: 3 buffet breakfasts + 5 sumptuous special meals + full mineral water
4. Guide service: professional lecturer accompanied by lectures + cultural team leader intimate service + full-time driver
5. Admission: Entrance fees to all attractions in the itinerary
6. Lecture: Evergreen Teacher specially shared 1 salon
7. Device: Wireless Bluetooth explainer
8. Insurance: High travel insurance
Not included in the fee
1. Large transportation costs to and from various places;
2. Other consumption due to personal reasons;
3. Single room charge
*Single room difference description: This activity is fully occupied in a standard room (1 room and 2 beds), and if a single registration is made, the same-sex room will be arranged by the art travel according to the order of registration or special requests. If you wish to stay alone, please make up the difference between the single room and enjoy the whole room. (If a large and a small room cannot be combined, it must make up for the difference in the room)
Registration Notice
1. Due to the epidemic situation or other reasons, the tour canceled by Yilu Culture will unconditionally refund 100% of the tour fee;
2. The itinerary belongs to the special customized itinerary, which needs to be reserved in advance, if due to private reasons, the cancelled itinerary will be deducted part of the tour fee;
3. The minimum number of people on this tour is 8 people, if the number of people is not enough, the organizer may cancel the activity or increase the fee (if there is any change, the first time will be notified);
4. This activity is only available for guests from low-risk areas, if the itinerary is cancelled due to epidemic situation or other force majeure, a full refund will be issued.
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