Sea Lily Fossil Studies Blossom in Guizhou Geopark Improved

16 | Friday, June 12, 2020 CHINA DAILY LIFE

culptural representations in era, the icon was finalized as a Buddhism convey people’s female figure: the beard had been S supreme devotion. They are replaced by feminine decorative also testaments to the aes- details. And in addition to an associ- thetic evolution and maturity of ation with infinite compassion, the workmanship over centuries, pro- goddess embodied more blessings moting their status to an important among a wide population of believ- department at either museums or ers, such as a wish for children. the art market today. Tong says her personal favorite at There are more than 30,000 items Confluence of ideas the exhibition is another Song-era of Buddhist art in the National wooden Guanyin head that exempli- Museum of China’s collection, ran- Lin Qi fies an aesthetic transformation ging from sculptures to thangka A new exhibition highlights the evolution of Buddhist art in China, reports. from the Tang to the Song dynasties. paintings in different media such as “The head presents an admiration gold, bronze, textile and paper, of ample physique and majestic ele- according to Tong Chunyan, a cura- gance, which inherited the artistic tor at the museum. style favored in the Tang period. A selection of Buddhist sculp- Meanwhile, unlike Tang figures that tures had been on show at the highlight power and strength, the museum since the museum opened Song objects deliver a softened tone in 2011. In December, Tong and her of beauty,” she adds. colleagues reorganized the artwork Gilt-bronze statues from the Ming to give this permanent display a (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) face-lift. dynasties on show celebrate the The new Ancient Chinese Bud- sophisticated workmanship of cast- dhist Sculpture exhibition gathers ing at the time, making the refined 265 fine examples, navigating the specimens highly sought after by evolution of Buddhist art in China. collectors. Buddhism came to China from Tong says a Ming ceramic figure at India roughly 2,000 years ago. the exhibition also deserves atten- The exhibition shows the most dis- tion. It portrays the Wenshu deity, or tinctive features of sculptural repre- Manjushri bodhisattva, holding a sentations from different dynasties jade ruyi scepter and sitting on a in China and also the maturity of var- lion. It was cast in the prestigious ious crafts used to create such works Longquan kiln in Zhejiang province, of art. It reflects the extensive cultur- The National Museum of China is showcasing its collection of Buddhist art in Beijing. Artwork representing Tibetan Buddhism (above left) known for producing ceramics that al exchanges between the Middle is a major part of the collection. Other highlights of the show include an iron sculpture (above right) from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a boast grayish-green glaze glittering Kingdom and other civilizations wooden sculpture of Guanyin head (top left) dating to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and a colored wooden sculpture of Guanyin (top right) with tranquil luminosity. through the spread of Buddhism, from the Song era. PHOTOS BY LIN QI AND PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Tong says about two-thirds of the which further enriched the Chinese national museum’s collection of Bud- civilization. dhist art represent Tibetan Bud- The exhibition begins by introduc- that art afterward in China.” fourth century and the Tang Dynas- Located in the middle of the exhi- “Any museum would be proud to dhism, and the final section of the ing the diversity of bronze figures in As Buddhism spread across ty (618-907) show craftspeople bition space is a 2-meter-high, col- own a wooden Song Buddhist sculp- exhibition shows a wall of inlaid Buddhism from the ancient Indian ancient China, Buddhist art incorpo- beginning to blend Chinese physical ored wooden sculpture from the ture, given the rarity of its kind,” Tong caves in rows in which dozens of subcontinent. Specimens on display rated indigenous aesthetics and features into their works, using clay Song Dynasty (960-1279), depicting says. selected statues from Tibetan Bud- cover notable schools of art such as regional beliefs to form a distinct as a more accessible material. Guanyin, the Chinese version of Ava- The Guanyin figure, which was dhism are seated. the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta style, reflecting the country’s cultural Stone sculptures gradually gained lokitesvara bodhisattva. bought back to China from a private “The design is to engage the audi- styles. landscape. predominance during the same peri- The worship of Guanyin began collector abroad in 2005, reflects the ence with an artistic atmosphere, “This section traces ancient Chi- Tong says her team categorized od, as large Buddhist grottoes were around the third century, and the reverence for Avalokitesvara after the thereafter ushering them into the nese Buddhist art to its origin,” Tong Chinese art figures by materials, constructed in Shanxi, Gansu, Hen- earliest Guanyin figure still in exis- religion started to spread in China. infiniteness of the world of Bud- says, “helping the audience, especial- which present ancient artisans’ an and Jiangsu provinces, and sever- tence, believed to have been sculpted The bodhisattva figure, who has dhism,” she says. ly those who are unfamiliar with the creativity, varying over different al cities like Qingzhou in Shandong between the third and fourth centu- male features in Indian Buddhism, field, to have some basic idea before periods. province became centers of Bud- ries, is now at the Bingling Temple in gradually took on more female char- Contact the writer at they move on to the development of Clay figures dated around the dhism. Gansu. acteristics in China, and in the Song [email protected]

fossil. However, he needs around an hour now, as his techniques have Sea lily fossil studies blossom in Guizhou geopark improved. Li has shared his findings with some others in the field. In 2018, he GUIYANG — Fossil restoration in between 410 million and 350 mil- plate-size fossil of a sea lily in a “The force used in fossil restora- “fossil raiders” often destroyed the was nominated as an “outstanding the mountains requires a variety of lion years ago. In 2006, fossils of transparent container and uses tion really matters. It should help fossils they stole. Given this, Li contributor” by the China Fossil techniques except for speaking marine reptiles and sea lilies, with a sophisticated equipment to remove remove impurities, and also avoid began advocating for scientific res- Preservation Foundation for his skills — the more silent you are, the history of 220 to 230 million years, dust from the fossil. damage,” says Li. toration among local villagers. devotion to fossil preservation and louder you will hear a stone “talk”. were unearthed in Guanling county. “The sea lily is an animal — a kind His work as a fossil restorer began “Each and every piece of fossil is protection. For Li Gang, a fossil restorer at a To better protect and preserve the of echinoderm to be precise. But it 20 years ago after a chance encoun- unique, which allows for no care- The park, which was designated national geological park in South- fossils, the local government estab- looks like a plant, which is why it has ter with a sea lily fossil. lessness,” he says. “The restoration as a teaching base for popularizing west China’s Guizhou province, an lished the Guanling Fossil National a plant’s name,” says Li. “I was instantly enchanted by its of sea lily fossils requires extra care geological knowledge in 2009, has easily ignored piece of rock might be Geopark, which collects and exhib- As the surface dust clears out, the exquisite look as if it was telling me as their skins are as tender as those held activities to encourage visitors able to convey a story dating back its fossils of ancient marine crea- fossil begins to show more exquisite (about) a mysterious past,” Li says. of humans.” to try fossil restoration with experts. 220 million years. tures. stripes and a clearer shape of the sea But at that time, due to a lack of Initially, it took Li more than 10 The area was beneath the sea In his office, Li carefully places a lily’s structure. restoration knowledge and skills, days to restore a palm-size sea lily XINHUA