Museum exhibits ancient Buddhist cave art
Print Edition
Yungang Grottoes near the city of Datong in north China’s Shanxi Province is of the three most famous Buddhist sculptural sites in China, with thousands of buddha statues and other figures carved along a sandstone cliff.
Now, you don’t need to travel thousands of kilometers to view some of these ancient treasures. The Powerlong Museum in Minhang has opened an exhibition of 120 1,600-year-old relics from the caves. It’s entitled “Ode to Great Beauty.”
Mounted in collaboration with the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute, the exhibition uses modern 3D scanning and printing technology to faithfully reproduce statuary and other relics from the caves.
The exhibition, which opened late last month, will run through the end of March.
The exhibits include stone sculpture, pottery sculpture, building parts and daily ware, showcasing the history, art and life of the Northern Wei (AD 386-534) Dynasty.
Yungang Grottoes came into being in AD 460 through the work of a master named Tanyao. Construction spanned more than 60 years. The existing site now has more than 250 caves, large and small, containing 59,000 statues. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site since 2001.
A life-size replica of Cave No. 12 cave, also known as the Music Cave, brings us one of the major grottoes. The replica, built on a 1:1 scale at a width of 12 meters and a height of 8 meters, features heavenly figures dancing or playing instruments.
To give the authentic appearance of the surface of the cave, mineral pigments were used, employing ancient skills in a process that took about eight months.
“The colors were replicated with more than 95 percent accuracy,” said Diao Changyu, deputy head of the Yungang institute.
Multimedia effect are used to turn some of the exhibits into immersive experiences.
Meanwhile, 20 artworks by 10 modern artists inspired by the Yungang Grottoes are also displayed in the exhibition. After its Shanghai stop, the exhibition will continue a global tour that takes it to cities that include Beijing, Shenzhen and Tokyo over the next five years.
Date: Through March 28, Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
Tickets: 98 yuan
Venue: Powerlong Museum
Address: 3055 Caobao Rd
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