The Dazu Rock Carvings — The Jade Emperor

Previous

Country: China Subject: The Jade Emperor Period: S. Song Dynasty Date: 1131-1162 A.D. Format: Sculpture Medium: Sandstone

The sculptor depicts the jade emperor in a dragon-head throne, holding a jade tablet, wearing pockets of fragrance on his ears and enjoying the fan shades. The relaxed and carefree mode of this scene typifies the Taoist belief in action through inaction (wu wei).

Previous

The Dazu Rock Carvings — The Peacock King

Previous | Next

Country: China Subject: The Peacock King Period: N. Song Dynasty Date: 1126 A.D. Format: Sculpture Medium: Sandstone

The peacock king was a former incarnation of Śākyamuni. When as a peacock he sucked from a rock water of miraculous healing power. He is now one of the mahārāja bodhisattvas, with four arms, who rides on a peacock. The lotus throne in the sculpture represents a sense of original purity. The presence of the thousand Buddhas, the enlightened, on both sides of the wall also encourage devotees to strive for enlightenment and purity, which are the principles of Buddhism.

Previous | Next

The Dazu Rock Carvings — Confucius

Previous | Next

Country: China Artist: Wen WeiJien Subject: Confucius Period: N. Song Dynasty Date: 1082-1096 A.D. Format: Sculpture Medium: Sandstone

In this sculpture, Confucius is dressed in a traditional round-neck, wide-sleeve garment with jade belt, carrying a whisk in his right hand. The formality of his attire along with his upright posture contrasts the liveliness of the following two sculptures, and demonstrates the emphasis of Confucianism on rituals (Lǐ) and being a perfect gentleman (Jūnzǐ).

Previous | Next

The Dazu Rock Carvings

Next

The steep hillsides of the Dazu area contain an exceptional series of rock carvings dating from the 9th to the 13th century. They are remarkable for their aesthetic quality, their rich diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and the light that they shed on everyday life in China during this period. They provide outstanding evidence of the harmonious synthesis of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)

There is no better place than the Dazu Rock Carvings to look for artworks of different Chinese belief systems. Here we list three Dazu sculptures that are representative of the Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist belief systems.

Next