| From: Chinese Archaeology Date: 21-5-2013 |
Since China and Kenya enjoy a time-honored history of contacts, and for promoting China and Africa exchanges, exploring the history, and investigating Chinese porcelain unearthed in Kenya, Chinese government has carried out the cooperative archeological project on Kenya’s coastal area with the joint effort of Kenya. The excavations on mainland, as well as the investigation on the Chinese porcelain unearthed in the coastal areas of Kenya were undertaken by Beijing University. The first excavation and investigation were conducted in 2010, which made promising achievement. A joint archeological team was established by Beijing University and the National Museum of Kenya together, from July to September of 2012, the second excavation in mainland and porcelain research were carried out by the leader of the team, Prof. Qin Dashu from Beijing University and the vice leader Jambo Haro from Archeological Department of the National Museum of Kenya.
Based on the work of 2010, the team continued to conduct a large-scale excavation at Mambrui site near Malindi city, and also chose three other locations in Malindi Old Town to excavate. Besides, on the basis of archeological survey, a small area testing dig was carried out in Mjanheri site. Thus, with the Khatibu Mosque site excavated in 2010, there are four locations in and around Malindi in total excavated in 2012. Research on the Chinese porcelain unearthed in the Kenya’s coastal area was conducted at the same time. During 2012, 47 grids were laid out and excavated, and most of them found ancient cultural remains. The total of excavated area is 965 square meters and the depth of cultural stratigraphic is up to 5 meters.
 The excavation and major achievement of Mambrui site
Mambrui site is about 11 kilometers north to Malindi City, on the south bank of Sabaki River, which is the nearest large settlement site to the estuary in early time. The Qubba Mosque is one of the earliest mosques in Kenya’s coastal area. Mosque is always the centre or monument in a Muslim settlement, therefore, to find mosque becomes an effective way to find a large settlement. Mambrui Village is one of the largest settlements in the Sabaki River’s estuary, so the scholars of Kenya thought it could be early Malindi City site. During 2010 as the key work, three locations were excavated around Qubba Mosque, and they could be dated back to 12th century. To figure out the division of the settlement’s different functions, this time we picked another six locations, excavated 36 grids, disclosed 24 house foundations, 2 kilns, 2 wells, 10 wall foundations, etc, and a large amount of local pottery was unearthed, including dozens of almost intact big pottery jar produced locally, as well as lots of Chinese and Islamic pottery pieces. Through the excavation of this year, some important understanding was achieved.
Firstly, after two years’ excavation, the distribution of Mambrui site was clear. Around the centre of Qubba Mosque, there were large scale house foundations found in Zone Ea, whose wall was built with large coral stone, and the ground construction was very special, revealing its high rank. Taking House foundation F8 as an example, the remaining length is 8.25 meter and width 6.25 meter with three thick layers of activity surface. In the house there found 17 half-buried large pottery jars, which could be used as cooking or storage vessels, suggesting this house was lived for a long time, which might be high-rank residential remain. From cultural stratum, these remains can be as early as 13 century, while the high-rank house’s construction could last from 16 to 17 century, which implies this place should be a high rank or noble settlement near Qubba Mosque, as the central area of ancient Mambrui site, extending to Zone D. In Zone Eb, A and G we found kilns and smelting and casting ruins, as well as slag, copple, blast pipe and other iron smelting remains which scattered all the way to H zone. Some relatively high-rank house construction were also found, forming an iron-smelting producing zone around the high-rank residential area, and its large scale and plenty of remains, showing the great scale of iron production at that time.
Secondly, through the two excavations, in Zone A, Eb, G and H many iron smelting and casting kilns were found, as well as iron slag, copple, blast pipe, and plenty of other remains, besides, through the investigation near site, large-scale iron mine were found on the nearby beach, revealing this area had massive iron manufacture and possessed abundant resource during 12 to 14 century. The excavation in 2012 found structured block iron casting kiln, unearthed various kinds of smelting remains, and initially restored the ancient iron smelting technique in Malindi area, providing essential material to explore Malindi Kingdom and further the study on ancient Indian ocean rim trade system.
Thirdly, large amount of local pottery pieces were found in Mambrui, meanwhile, many pieces of Chinese porcelain and Islamic glazed pottery were also found, which is important for us to study the chronological order of the local pottery, and we can learn the development of local and outside trade exchange. Most of the Chinese porcelain are from Longquan Kiln and mainly blue-white pieces.
Fourthly, the two excavations in Mambrui site unearthed many remains, including blue and white porcelain pieces from Yongle official kiln, official wares from Longquan kiln in early Ming Dynasty, and YongleTongbao bronze coin, etc. Base on Mambrui site’s scale, its time of prosperity, existing tomb’s scale and relevant records, it suggested that this place is one of Zheng He’s landing spot in early Ming Dynasty, providing materials for us to explore Zheng He’s voyage and his contact with East Africa.
Based on the excavation, we learned that this place is one of the most important ancient sites along the middle parts of Kenya’s coastal areas, with large scale and long lasting duration, from 12 and 13 century to 19 century, here remaining an important settlement. In the early stage of 12 to 14 century, Mambrui was a significant settlement with large scale iron smelting industry, clusters of giant architecture, plenty of material remains. However, till 16 century many tombs which even greater than the ones existing in Malindi appeared in Mambrui.
 The excavation and major achievement of Malindi Old Town
The scholars used to believe that the present Malindi City is the ancient capital city site of Malindi Kingdom’s later period. Since there are quite a few and explicit documents about this place, Malindi can also be one of Zheng He’s landing spot, as the documents suggested that it should be the “Malin” or “Malindi” in Yuan and Ming Dynasties’ records of China. Besides, it’s the very first landing spot for European colonists in Africa after they rounded the Cape of Good Hope as well. This year we chose three excavated locations near the ancient wall within Malindi Old Town to acquire the earliest cultural stratum, helping us learning the history of ancient Malindi’s construction.
In Malindi Old Town’s Zone A, we found a large building foundation, which faced north and divided into several rooms. It had been constructed twice, and the first construction of F1 should be from late period of 16 century to the early half of 17 century, while the existing Malidin old town wall could be built in the latter half of 17 century. F1 is significant in scale, particular in construction, whose quality is similar to the palace construction of Gede Old Town, showing it should be a major institution or residence for important people.
In the earliest stratum, layer T2⑥, in Zone B of Malindi Old Town, plenty of local pottery pieces, which features differently with the ones in Mambrui site and might be earlier in age, were unearthed. The Chinese porcelain and Islamic pottery in the same cultural stratum also show the primitive feature, therefore, Zone B’s lowest layer could be as early as 11 to 12 century, which overturned the British scholar, James Krikman’s idea that Malindi was built in 14 century, proving that Malindi Kingdom’s centre was always here, never changed.
Through the excavation and investigation in three locations around Malindi this year, we furthered our knowledge about Malindi Kingdom’s location and history of construction, while the existing Malindi Old Town and Mambrui site shared similar settlement in scale and location after 11 century, which is significant to the study on history of Swahili region in East Africa coastal area.
（Translator: Lang Langtian） |
Sunday, 26 May 2013
The achievements of Sino-Kenyan Cooperative Archeological project in Kenyan in 2012
The Calligraphy of Wang Xizhi
TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013
The Calligraphy of Wang Xizhi
Above: Or.8210/S.3753 — British Library manuscript featuring copies of no. 3 (Longbao tie 龍保帖) and no. 8 (Zhanjin tie 瞻近帖) from Wang Xizhi’s Shiqitie.Below: Pelliot chinois 4642 — Bibliothèque nationale de France manuscript featuring a copy of no.23 (Zhanji hutao tie 旃罽胡桃帖) from Wang Xizhi’s Shiqitie.
The fourth-century calligrapher Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361) became known in China as the 'Sage of Calligraphy' for his mastery of all calligraphic forms, in particular semi-cursive script (行书). His work was prized by calligraphers, collectors and emperors, both for its artistry and its rarity. As none of his original work is known to have survived, it was through rubbings, tracings and copies that his legacy was secured as generations of calligraphers tried to emulate his distinctive style.
Even in Dunhuang, on the opposite side of China from his native province of Shandong, we know of at least two manuscripts that have been identified as copies of Wang Xizhi’s work. One of these is now in the Stein Collection at the British Library and the other, first identified by Pelliot, is at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Dating back to the Tang period (618–907), these manuscripts show three parts of theShiqitie (十七帖), a model work in cursive script consisting of letters and other miscellaneous texts and named after the first two characters of the original piece.
Copies of Wang Xizhi's work continue to be identified and to make headlines. As recently as January 2013, a fragment of a letter held in a private Japanese collection was identified by specialists at the Tokyo National Museum as an expert copy of a Wang Xizhi original. It was promptly displayed in the museum's exhibition Wang Xizhi: Master Calligrapher, which ran from 22 January to 3 March 2013.
These manuscripts will feature in The Calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi (王羲之王獻之書法全集), to be published in June 2013 by the Forbidden City Publishing House.
A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas
Afghan mine delays at ancient site delight archaeologists
Renegotiation of contract with Chinese company mean more time for dig at former Buddhist settlement
An archaeologist looks at the remains of Buddha statues discovered inside an ancient monastery in Mes Aynak. Photograph: Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images
The forts and temples of the ancient Buddhist town at Mes Aynak inAfghanistan throng with the biggest crowds they have seen in more than 14 centuries. Nearby, rows of sheet metal housing built for Chinese miners are almost empty.
Hundreds of archaeologists are working at the site to excavate gilded statues of the Buddha, elaborate stupas that rise from ornately carved floors and delicate frescoes protected by centuries of mud and forgetfulness. The rich vein of copper that once funded Mes Aynak's creation is now likely to bring about its destruction: a Chinese state-owned mining company paid $3bn (£1.9bn) for the extraction rights, and the site will eventually become the world's biggest copper mine.
But while the fevered excavations are a thrilling sight for those racing to save the last traces of Mes Aynak, the lack of activity in the mining camp is alarming financial mandarins in Kabul, who are counting on mining revenue to make up for slowing streams of western aid.
This year was supposed to see production of the first copper from the site since Afghanistan embraced Islam, the first gush of ore eventually forecast to bring $300m to the government each year, and a $1bn annual boost to the still feeble Afghan economy.
Instead, the only excavation on the site is of archaeological treasures and even the most optimistic officials and analysts admit it will be two years before Mes Aynak copper is trucked off to a Pakistani port.
However, others think 2016 or 2017 are more realistic, after a series of setbacks. The Chinese camp was evacuated last summer after a Taliban rocket attack and shows no signs of being restaffed, the ministry of mines wants to renegotiate the multibillion-dollar contract for the site, and the archaeological dig that must be completed before mining startsis still in full swing.
"Don't worry, you will have at least until 2014," one of the few Chinese miners who stayed on told archaeologists earlier this year. Others fromChina Metallurgical Group (MCC), the company with a majority stake in the mine, had a similar message. "The cultural artefacts are the most important thing," they told surprised workers on an impromptu tour of the dig site.
Nearby, mining equipment sits idle, and many of the watchtowers ringing the core of the mine are empty at midday, although there is an outer circle of guards from a special resources protection unit.
Such concern for another country's cultural heritage, unusual for a hard-nosed Chinese natural resources company, comes as Afghanistan braces itself for huge political and security upheaval in 2014. The last Nato troops will leave by the end of the year, and the country must hold a presidential election to replace Hamid Karzai, who has ruled for more than a decade but is barred by the constitution from standing again.
Any company looking at a decades-long project might prefer to wait for more clarity on who will rule the country, and how secure it will be, before starting work in earnest, although MCC did not respond to requests for comment on its plans for Mes Aynak.
The Afghan government may also be willing to swallow some delays as it looks to renegotiate a contract that has been shadowed by corruption allegations since it was signed off six years ago. The minister who agreed it resigned shortly after reports surfaced that he had pocketed a $30m bribe from MCC, which he strongly denied. .
"We have requested for the renegotiation [of the contract]," said the current minister of mines, Wahidullah Shahrani, who has led a high-profile campaign to modernise the ministry and make its bidding process professional and transparent.
He declined to go into details on what changes he was seeking, saying only that the contract was several years old. "When it comes to these types of big projects, there could be a need for some type of what we call correction measures to be taken. But as of now we have not launched any formal renegotiation with them," he said, in an office lined with samples of the country's many valuable rocks, from lapis lazuli to iron ore.
The Chinese company was due to submit a new work schedule at the end of April, Shahrani said, and if work goes smoothly he believes production could start by 2015.
The cash is certainly needed, with World Bank forecasts for a $7bn hole in Afghanistan's annual budget after 2014, and the wider economy also suffering as US and Nato contracts dry up.
"When Aynak reaches full production the revenues to the government would be at least $300m … although it depends on fluctuations in the international copper market," Shahrani said. "In terms of its contribution to the national economy, the indirect contribution, it would be around $1bn."
But mining experts say that even if preparation work were to start in earnest this June, when the archaeologists' permission to dig ends, production is unlikely before 2016, given the preparation work usually needed for big mining projects.
"Big mines take on average between three to five years to build and construct," said a World Bank mining specialist, Michael Stanley, who declined to comment directly on Mes Aynak.
However, as long as the project is not called off, the wider Afghan economy will benefit from trucking, construction and any other work MCC contracts out, long before copper sales bring the government cash to balance its books.
"What everyone tends to forget is that the construction period for a mine, in terms of economic stimulus, is as important or more for the local economy than the production period," Stanley said.
Mes Aynak highlights Afghanistan's dilemma over protecting heritage
Quest for copper riches in Mes Aynak develops as battle between culture and commerce
Artefacts such as a Buddhist sculpture have been extracted from the Mes Aynak archaeology site where miners want to extract rich deposits of copper. Photograph: Jay Price/Getty Images
The ruins of Mes Aynak straddle a copper deposit so rich that many of the rocks are brilliant green with oxidised ore from a seam of metal first exploited 5,000 years ago.
The remaining copper cannot be extracted without destroying not just the ruins but the entire hill they perch on, and efforts to develop the mine have often been cast as a battle between the heartless miners and valiant archaeologists, racing against time to save their heritage.
The Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage (Arch), a US non-profit organisation, has led a publicity campaign to prevent the mine, as currently envisaged, from going ahead. It has been so successful that the World Bank office in Kabul faces an internal investigation for supporting the dig and the mine development.
But none of Arch's four directors have a background in cultural heritage, and several have connections to US mining companies interested in Afghan contracts. They are Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan, his wife, his business associate in the lobbying firm Gryphon Partners, and a well-travelled restaurateur.
Khalilzad has been openlycritical of China's mining companies and a bidding system that he argues favours them in Afghanistan, the country where he was born and later returned as the first US ambassador after the fall of the Taliban. "The performance of Chinese companies is improving but they have a long way to go," he wrote in a 2011 opinion article for Foreign Policy entitled How many ways can we lose in Afghanistan, which criticised Chinese firms on issues including protection of cultural heritage. "It is certainly ironic that Chinese firms are at an advantage over western companies due to defence department procedures," he wrote, before ending on a slightly less gloomy note: "It is not inevitable that Afghanistan's valuable resources fall into the hands of the Chinese."
Afghan archeologists and experts working on mining have a more complex view of the mine's impact than Arch. Abdul Qadir Temori, head of the Afghan Institute of Archeology, who has committed his entire team of more than 30 graduate archaeologists to Mes Aynak, says the site is so complex and fascinating that experts could easily spend two decades picking over it.
In an ideal world that would be the case, he says. But Afghanistan is desperately poor and has suffered 30 years of violence, which means leaving artefacts in the ground offers little guarantee of preservation.Desperation and lawlessness have fuelled a ruthlessly efficient looting industry, and before the mining guards sealed off the site, looters stripped Mes Aynak of treasures that had been buried untouched for centuries, and destroyed beautiful buildings and crucial archeological evidence in the process. Just a few dozen miles away is Kharwar, another ancient site that may be even richer in remains, but has been described by the UN as "in danger of complete destruction". Without security or funds for excavation, only looters are picking through its treasures.
"Kharwar is possibly more beautiful than Mes Aynak, almost the same age," said SM Raheen, the minister of culture and information. "Unfortunately looting is going on there, but no one pays any attention … I don't know why everybody cares just about Mes Aynak."
The mine will ultimately destroy Mes Aynak, but it may also save it from leaving no record or legacy. The urgent need to salvage the site has brought an influx of funds for archaeologists, creating probably the biggest excavation project the country has seen and plans for a storage site for the treasures that are dug up, either in Kabul or near the mine.
The expensive, and extensive mine security has allowed work to go ahead in an area that would otherwise be largely controlled by the Taliban, more famous for blowing up the great Buddhas of Bamiyan than supporting cultural projects.
Archaeologists working on the ancient Afghan town, and the spectacular Buddhist temples around the settlements and smelters, are quietly confident they can rescue the majority of its treasures before it vanishes. Experts discuss stabilising foam, steel reinforcements and the merits of plucking stupas out whole or painstakingly dismantling them stone by stone, then rebuilding them in a permanent museum. "When thieves target a site, they destroy 10 pieces to steal two pieces," Raheen added when asked about the mine and its impact. "This project has been helpful, to save the site. Otherwise it would face the same fate as Kharwar."
Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road
Dunhuang:
Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road
April 19 – July 21, 2013
Dunhuang, the western gateway to China, is one of the world's most esteemed art shrines and cultural heritage sites.Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Roadaddresses art and ritual practices of the Northern dynasties (420-589) and the Tang dynasty (618-907). The exhibition features excavated art works, high relief clay figures, wooden sculpture, silk banners, and molded bricks. A group of treasured Buddhist sutras from the famous Cangjingdong (The Library Cave) illustrate the story behind Dunhuang's historic discovery. Magnificent replicas of a 6th-century central pillar and an 8th-century cave allow visitors to experience the actual cave setting.
This exhibition is organized by China Institute Gallery and Dunhuang Academy under the direction of Willow Weilan Hai Chang and is curated by Fan Jinshi, Director of Dunhuang Academy.
This exhibition is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the generous support of the Asian Cultural Council, Blakemore Foundation, the E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation and China Institute Friends of the Gallery.    |  Detail: Celestial Music, mural from Mogao Cave 288 Western Wei dynasty (535-557), 52 x 522 cm Image courtesy of Dunhuang Academy |
Source: China Institute
Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road
Dunhuang, the western gateway to China, is one of the world’s most esteemed art shrines and cultural heritage
sites. Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road will address art and ritual practices of the northern dynasties (420–589) and the Tang dynasty (618–907). The exhibition will feature excavated artworks, high relief clay figures, wooden sculpture, silk banners, and molded bricks. a group of treasured Buddhist sutras from the famous Cangjingdong (The library Cave) will illustrate the story behind Dunhuang’s historic discovery. a magnificent replica of the eigth century cave that houses the beautiful Bodhisattva of the Mogao Grottoes and an illustrious central pillar from the sixth century will also be prominently displayed to recall the actual cave setting.
April 19 – July 21
Monday – Sunday ~ 10 AM – 5 PM Tuesday & Thursday ~ 10 AM – 8 PM FREE members and children under 12 only FREE Tuesdays & Thursdays ~ 6 – 8 PM $7 adults / $4 students and seniors
Catalogues for current and past exhibitions are available.
New York
Tuesday and Thursday 10am - 8pm
FREE admission from 6pm - 8pm
Closed in between exhibitions and on major holidays.
FREE Children under 12
FREE Members of China Institute, Asia Society, and Channel Thirteen
Please click for ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
Dunhuang, the western gateway to China, is one of the world’s most esteemed art shrines and cultural heritage
sites. Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road will address art and ritual practices of the northern dynasties (420–589) and the Tang dynasty (618–907). The exhibition will feature excavated artworks, high relief clay figures, wooden sculpture, silk banners, and molded bricks. a group of treasured Buddhist sutras from the famous Cangjingdong (The library Cave) will illustrate the story behind Dunhuang’s historic discovery. a magnificent replica of the eigth century cave that houses the beautiful Bodhisattva of the Mogao Grottoes and an illustrious central pillar from the sixth century will also be prominently displayed to recall the actual cave setting.
April 19 – July 21
Monday – Sunday ~ 10 AM – 5 PM Tuesday & Thursday ~ 10 AM – 8 PM FREE members and children under 12 only FREE Tuesdays & Thursdays ~ 6 – 8 PM $7 adults / $4 students and seniors
Catalogues for current and past exhibitions are available.
LOCATION:
125 East 65th Street (between Lexington and Park Avenues)New York
GALLERY HOURS:
Monday - Sunday 10am - 5pmTuesday and Thursday 10am - 8pm
FREE admission from 6pm - 8pm
Closed in between exhibitions and on major holidays.
ADMISSION:
Adults $7 Students and seniors (with valid ID) $4FREE Children under 12
FREE Members of China Institute, Asia Society, and Channel Thirteen
Please click for ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
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Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Protests halt excavation on ancient mausoleum
| English.news.cn 2013-05-14 09:43:56 |        |
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A stone Tianlu is seen outside what is thought to be the tomb of Chen Qian, the second emperor of the Chen Dynasty (AD 557-589). Tianlu is a mythical Chinese hybrid creature considered to be able to bring good luck and fortune. Provided to China Daily
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhuanet) -- A museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, has suspended the excavation of what is thought to be an imperial mausoleum following protests from archaeologists and the public.
The department of archaeology at the Nanjing Museum admitted it plans to build a heritage park and a museum on the site of the mausoleum, and said it will further consult experts before putting forward new protection measures.
It also denied in a statement released on Saturday that any business programs were involved in the excavation.
In November, archaeologists from the Nanjing Museum discovered two 16-by-7-meter tombs in Xinhe, a village in the city's Qixia district. The tombs were later suspected to be the mausoleum of Chen Qian, the second emperor of the Chen Dynasty (AD 557-589), which is also known as the Southern Chen Dynasty.
In January and February, the Nanjing Museum and the city's cultural, radio, press and publishing bureau held two news conferences announcing the construction of a heritage park and a museum that will occupy 80,000 square meters.
In April, heritage conservation activists began to protest by reporting to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and posting on the Internet after discovering that the two tombs had been excavated.
"Imperial mausoleums, even the suspected ones, should definitely not be excavated," said Xie Chensheng, an expert on heritage conservation. "In fact, the excavations are generally carried out to rescue relics found in construction sites. It's a rule that people shouldn't take the initiative to excavate tombs."
In the late 1950s, Beijing excavated the mausoleum of Emperor Wanli and his two queens of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644). But due to the limited technology of the conservation and recovery of unearthed relics, large amounts of the artifacts, especially textiles, were destroyed.
Soon after the excavation of Wanli's mausoleum, the State Council said that imperial tombs may not be excavated. In 1987 and 2012, the State Council again said that the safety of cultural relics is the most important and imperial tombs should remain undisturbed, according to Yao Yuan, a cultural scholar from Nanjing University.
"The establishment of any cultural program is no excuse for digging into an imperial mausoleum," Yao said.
Yao and two other Nanjing residents have submitted an application to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Nanjing urban planning bureau and the city's administration of cultural heritage, calling for a public hearing on the excavation.
"The archaeological department (in Nanjing) has violated the principles of protecting the integrity and maintaining the original appearance," the application read.
So far they have received no answer from the departments.
(Source: China Daily)
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road' Comes To The China Institute
ULA ILNYTZKY 04/29/13 01:03 PM ET EDT 
Huffington Post
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NEW YORK — The China Institute Gallery has been transformed into an ancient cave, taking visitors back more than a millennium to a dazzling world where Buddhist worshippers adorned the walls with colorful frescoes, silk prayer banners and lavishly painted life-size clay sculptures.
"Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road" features a replica of an 8th century cave carved into the limestone cliffs at the edge of the Gobi Desert southeast of the oasis town of Dunhuang from 366 to about 1300.
It is one of 735 Mogao Caves constructed during what is known as the high Tang period (705-781), designed for devout Buddhists to gather and worship. Nearly every inch is covered in art, with a canopy ceiling resplendent in floral and diamond shapes. One end is filled with life-sized sculptures of a Buddha flanked by two monk disciples wearing luxuriously patterned robes, two bare-chested figures and two ferocious-looking guardians in military armor.
While there have been exhibitions that have featured individual pieces from the Mogoa Caves, this is the first exhibition in the United States to put all the elements of the cave shrines into context, said Annette Juliano, a professor of Chinese art history at Rutgers University.
It shows the "relationship between the architecture, the pictures, the subject matter and the (ritual) practices ... the actual use of the cave, rather than just an abstraction," added Juliano, who visited the caves for the first time in 1980.
Many of the caves are exquisitely preserved, but others are fragile due to neglect over the centuries and the conditions of the surrounding desert and sand dunes. To protect them from further erosion, tourist access is limited to several dozen caves a day that are rotated regularly.
The exhibition also features a 6th-century replica of an elaborate square altar called the Central Stupa Pillar that highlights the religious ritual of circumambulation – an act of veneration – in which the faithful walk clockwise around the altar that contains four niches, each holding a Buddha.
"Walking around the stupa pillar helps to empty your mind to allow visualization, to focus on the images of the Buddhas," said Juliano, who contributed an essay to the exhibition catalog.
Exact, hand-painted reproductions of wall motifs and story scenes complete the exhibition space in this gallery. Among the highlights is a Thousand Buddha pattern that covers an entire wall and is symbolic of the deity's omnipresence. Among the narrative paintings is the tale of the Deer King and his journey toward enlightenment.
Authentic silk prayer banners, a handwritten Buddhist scripture in near mint condition, a Yuan dynasty fragment of a mathematical document, small clay figurines, Persian silver coins that bear witness to foreign travelers on the Silk Road, patterned floor tiles and oil lamps used to light the dark caves round out the small two-gallery exhibition.
The Mogao Cave shrines, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, were largely unknown in the West until they were discovered in 1900 by a Hungarian archaeologist, Sir Aurel Stein.
Dunhuang, located at the north and south crossroads of the Silk Road, was a strategic hub of trade and religion. Stein, who made several treks through Central Asia, had heard rumors of a cave room sealed in the 11th century containing tens of thousands of manuscripts, scrolls, silk paintings and textiles dating in Chinese, Tibetan, Sanskrit and other languages.
A local caretaker had uncovered the treasure trove after discovering a crack in the wall of a corridor leading to a larger cave. It's not clear why the room was sealed, but scholars speculate they were walled up to protect them from the threat of invasion from nomadic people.
Stein was able to persuade the caretaker to sell a portion of the material in exchange for money for the cave's upkeep. In subsequent years, almost 80 percent of the contents were taken out of the country by foreign adventurers. Today, the treasures are found in various museums and libraries around the world.
The exhibition, organized by the Dunhuang Academy, runs through July 21. A second exhibition in the fall will focus on paintings and sculptures by contemporary artists inspired by the caves.
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