Peaceful Coexistence

In A.D.914, Cao Family replaced Zhang Family and controlled Dunhuang. Form then on, Cao Family had ruled Dunhuang for over 120 years.

There had been the relative unite of nationalities and prosperous economy during the period of Cao Family. The artworks of Mogao Grottoes showed it best. Relative to the images of Buddha and Bodhisattva, the images of worshipers in the grottoes were smaller. In the period of Zhang Family Allegiance Army, the images of the worshipers became larger than before. Their images of Zhang Family and Cao Family were built in the grottoes and were placed in the striking positions to show their virtues.

According to the statistics, there were 163 worshipers’ inscriptions in Mogao Grottoes, as the center of Cao Yijin. A set of images of Khotan King Li Shentian, his wife and attendants were in the southern section of eastern wall in No.98 Grotto. The king wore the hat decorated the Charles's Wain and red thin silk. With high nose and big eyes, he wore the dragon robe and stood in the carpet under the baldachin. A fairy broke through the carpet and supported the king’s feet with her hands. He was piously worshiping the Buddha with flowers in right hand and incense burner in left hand. “Daobao Khotan King is the owner of this grotto” was hung in his right. Li Shentian was conferred the title of Dabao Khotan King by Jin Dynasty in A.D.938.

There were 8 images of ladies form the southern section of the eastern wall in No.61 Grotto (Picture 45). The first four ladies were called based on the owner Cao Yuanzhong. The first one lady the wife of Cao Yijin; the second lady was Cao Yuanzhong’s sister who married Ganzhou Huihu Khan; the third lady was also Cao Yuanzhong’s sister who was the empress of Khotan and there was her image of worshiper in No.98 Grotto and the fourth lady was Cao Yuanzhong’s mother. This set of images showed the basic policy of Cao Family authority being allied with Huihu and Khotan. Usually, the natural mother of Cao Yuanzhong should be arranged behinad his two sisters, but this mural did. And it showed the attitude of Cao Family to the marriage relations with Huihu and Khotan was respectful and polite.

In the lower part of all walls in No.100 Grotto, reference to the form of Zhang Yichao Couple Travel Painting, the painting of Cao Yijin and his wife Huihu princess was painted: The middle part of the southern wall is Cao Yijin. He wears the reddish brown robe and black boot and is riding a white horse. The dancers and instrument players are blazing a trail, and the slaves and maids and nationalities’ cavalry are following; the Huihu princess riding horse of the northern wall was the main part. There are some players and dancers in front of her in the former part, and the slaves and carriages are in the latter. The large parade of northern and southern walls is advancing towards the main Buddha niche of the western wall. Being different from Zhang Yichao Couple Travel Painting, it showed the stable situation that the marriage policy brought to Dunhuang and the achievement of the policy to stabilizing the situation of Dunhuang, instead of people’s happiness when they got rid of the different race’s domination.

Besides that, they painted the mural in the 1-kilo. Precipice and built the wooden brims and corridor in front of the grotto. They repaired and painted the grottoes in former dynasties. In A.D.966, Xiping King Cao Yuanzhong and Lady Liangguo Zhai supervised the project in the spot and directed the project of repairing the big Maitrega in No.96 Grotto. Zui made food for over 300 workers in person. It could show their psychology of worshiping Buddha. For completing the Buddhist temples and grottoes, Cao Family authority imitated the central government to establish the imperial art academy and assembled lots of necessary special genius, including stonecutters, modeling workers, painters and the managers. The titles and positions of many professionals were recorded in the worshipers’ inscriptions of this period. The accordant arrangement of those skillful craftsmen had formed the successive and developed particular style of art of Cao Family Mogao Grottoes.

It was hard to find a grotto in which Cao Family got involved in all existing grottoes of Mogao Grottoes. They covered the wall with mud and painted it again; or lessened the gate and painted their images in the two sides of the gate; or painted some images in the base of central pillar of Northern Dynasties to show their merits and virtues. For avoiding the neighboring grottoes of former dynasties were destroyed, the new carved grottoes of Cao Family authorities deepened the corridors to the main room and it could go deep into the precipice.

The typical form of the grotto central-altar form of Late Tang Dynasty. Their plane was quadrate and a place behind the center was left to lay the horseshoe-shape verse concave altar. This was a way to the altar in the front brim and there was a back folding screen direct to the top in the back brim. The believers could do religious service surrounding the altar (Picture 46 and Picture 47). The ceiling of the grotto was filler-shape and was decorated with embellishing well. The difference from Late Tang Dynasty was to be cut in the four angles and form four concave sockets. A god protecting Buddhist doctrine was painted respectively inside the sockets. This kind of form was large-scale and was carved in the lower layer of the precipice, such as No.55 Grotto, No.61 Grotto, No.98 Grotto, No.108 Grotto, No.146 Grotto and No.256 Grotto.

After Ming Dynasty, the grottoes carved by Cao Family were destroyed heavily. The quondam colorful images installed in the altar had existed and there were few in No.55 Grotto and No.261 Grotto. The age of No.55 Grotto was in Northern Song Dynasty. There were three sitting Buddha, two standing Buddha and prentice and god in the alter. The age of No.261 Grotto was in Five Dynasties. There was one sitting Buddha, two standing Buddha, Kwan-yin, Dashizhi Buddha and two gods. These skills were less masterly than those of Tang Dynasty. It kept more styles of Tang Dynasty in the general form and arrangement.

In other small or middle scale grottoes of this period, there was only an image of Buddha was molded in the main niche. The images of ten prentice, four Bodhisattva and Tianlongbabu were painted in the murals in the niche. The images of main Buddha’s protectors were written clearly and it was simplified than before. The form of No.100 Grotto was special that the images of gods were painted in the four angles and a large niche was carved in the western wall instead of establishing the altar. This was practice to integrate the old type Buddhist Hall Grotto and the new central altar grotto.

From their contents to the form, the murals succeeded the style of Late Tang Dynasty, but their contents were added more. The sutra paintings were the main materials of murals in grotto, totally 19 kinds. Except that Fodingzunshentuoluoni Sutra, other 18 kinds were popular in Tang Dynasty and the contents and specific details in various murals were increased. For example, Fahua Sutra of No.61 Grotto had about 70 scenes and 68 notes inscriptions, and it nearly included all contents of Liaofalianhua Sutra. In addition, Vemogy Sutra had 59 notes inscriptions; Baoen Sutra and Huayan Sutra had over 40 notes inscriptions. Laoduchadoushen Sutra was the largest scale sutra painting in the period of Cao Family. For example, a painting in the western wall of No.146 Grotto had 76 inscriptions and each inscription could show the details of a story, and it exceeded the contents of Xianyu Sutra.

According to Xianyu Sutra, the several stories were painted; history of Buddha, Benshen and karma paintings had the new forms. The Buddhist history paintings and Image paintings fashioned in Tang Dynasty were combined, and approached the form of sutra paintings. For example, the No.454 Grotto was in the top of the corridor and took Niutou Mountain for the center. The Stone Buddha in Wusongkou and Gaoli getting golden image in Eastern Jin were painted in the first part. Nipoluo water and fire pool, Cuntuo old well and defeating poisonous dragon were painted in the second part. There were 16 Image paintings in two sides of the slope.

The history painting of monk Liu Sake was the most typical story in that period. The painting of Buddhist Holy Land Wutai Mountain was basically painted on the base of the facts of the time. It was treasure of Buddhist art.

Painting the worshiped Buddhist character, such as Buddha, Bodhisattva, gods and Tianlongbabu had become the feature of the paintings of Mogao Grottoes in the period of Cao Family.

The Buddhist art of Dunhuang in the period of Cao Family showed the friendly communications and economical support of various nationalities. At that time, to carve the grottoes must need the stable and peaceful social environment. From this aspect, compared with the tangled warfare in the period of Five Dynasties and Ten States, the peace and stability in Dunhuang was hard-won.

Translated by Beijing Star-light Translation Center
Compiled by Historical Department of www.travel-silkroad.com
January 10th, 2000