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February 10, 2017

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Exhibit traces Zhejiang’s rich Buddhist history

By Wu Huixin | February 10, 2017, Friday | Print Edition

ZHEJIANG Province has long been associated with Buddhism thanks to its abundance of Buddhist grottoes, sculptures and temples. As many of the country’s ancient emperors were devout believers, they dug caves, reproduced scriptures and erected religious buildings across the province.

An exhibition displaying local Buddhist relics and antiques is underway at the West Lake Gallery through March 27. Visitors can catch a glimpse of Zhejiang’s rich Buddhist culture through the abundance of artifacts now on view.

The exhibition space is divided into three parts. The first section explains how Buddhism spread into Zhejiang and became integrated with Chinese culture.

According to archeological discoveries, Buddhism started to penetrate the area that is now modern Zhejiang during the Wu Kingdom Period (AD 222-280) and Western Jin Dynasty (AD 265-316). It began to meld with Chinese culture in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420) and Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 420-589).

At the exhibition, visitors can see a batch of excavated burial objects ornamented with Buddhist patterns. A bronze mirror discovered in Anji County of northern Zhejiang features carved Buddhist-style cloud lines and patterns, which, along with other antiques, show Zhejiang as a production center for ancient Buddhist crafts.

Ancient figurines show the influence of costume and dress styles popular in the past. A Bodhisattva unearthed from Wanfo Pagoda in Jinhua features a hairstyle and accessories all characteristic of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Aesthetics changed when the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618) reunited China. At the time, chubbiness was favored over slimness. Therefore, the exhibited Sui-style gilded Bodhisattva featured a plump face.

The exhibition also displays a rare Amitabha sutra. It is believed to be the only one in existence that features both pictures and text. Historians see it as a rare historical document about the religious culture of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

The second part of the exhibition mainly showcases antiques from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (AD 907-979), and the early Song Dynasty (960-1279).

A group of ancient pagodas built in these two eras were excavated in Zhejiang Province. Feiying Pagoda in Huzhou and Zhibiao Pagoda in Haining County are considered the epitome of the pagoda style of that time.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, what is present-day Zhejiang Province belonged to the Wu Kingdom. Emperors were devout believers of Buddhism, as evidenced by the Buddhist antiques engraved with imperial characters.

The Qianchu Emperor built numerous Asoka sarira pagodas, which started a trend across China. Some such pagodas were even found in Japan, thanks to monk ambassadors. According to the exhibition, most sarira pagodas were made during the Qianchu Emperor period.

A highlight is the silver Asoka sarira pagoda discovered at Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou. It was divided into three sections. The base was embossed with Buddha and Bodhi trees, while the body was decorated with four leaves sculptured with Buddhist stories. The last section was the column. According to historical documents, Qianchu Emperor made it at the beginning of building the pagoda.

Many of today’s most well-known Buddhist relic sites, including Liuhe Pagoda, Yanxia Grotto, Lingyin and Jingci temples, were built during this period.

Buddhism was popularized in Zhejiang thanks to its promotion by the royal court. The exhibition displays a dozen bronze and gold gilded Bodhisattva figurines. Some of them retain the Tang style of chubbiness and graceful looks, while others feature a newer style characterized by simple, plain ornaments and realistic features.

The last section of the exhibition mainly displays antiques from the Song, Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties.

During the Song Dynasty, Buddhism combined with Taoism and Confucianism, which made the religion more secularized. Relics from Wenzhou’s Baixiang Pagoda, Ruian’s Huiguang Pagoda and Lishui’s Bihu Pagoda all reflect these characteristics.

Displayed scriptures from Huiguang Pagoda illustrate the block printing technology of the Song and its thriving Buddhist culture.

The emperors of the Yuan Dynasty were devout believers of Tibetan Buddhism. The relics from Zhenhai Pagoda of Haiyan County and the grottoes of Hangzhou’s Feilai Peak all typify the Yuan style.

In the Ming Dynasty, the court printed many scriptures which were discovered from Jiaxing and Tongxiang. At the time, the Chinese Buddha and Tibetan Green Tara were both widely worshiped. A highlight of this section is the Green Tara excavated from Chongfu Temple in Tongxiang County.

 

Date: Through March 27

Address: 25 Gushan Rd

Admission: Free

Hangzhou


 

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