Lanzhou, Nov. 11 (CNS) -- How can the architectural image of Dunhuang murals be compatible with things?

——Interview with Sun Yihua, a distinguished expert of China National Architecture Research Association

China News Service reporter Feng Zhijun

The architectural images in the Dunhuang murals contain a wealth of cultural information. What is the architectural image of the Dunhuang murals? How do they present the exchange and mutual learning of different architectural styles between the East and the West? Sun Yihua, deputy research librarian of the Dunhuang Academy and a distinguished expert of the China National Architecture Research Association, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East and West Question" to make an interpretation.

The transcript of the interview is summarized below:

China News Service: How many ancient architectural images have been preserved in the Dunhuang Grottoes?

Sun Yihua: The ancient architectural images preserved in the Dunhuang Grottoes cover many aspects of ancient social life. In terms of religion, there are Buddhist temples, pagodas, etc. The pagoda is the architectural form that entered China with the eastward spread of Buddhism, in Dunhuang, which has a profound cultural heritage of the Han nation, there are various forms of pagodas, there are Western Regions style covered bowl pagodas, there are also traditional Chinese pavilion pagodas, and there are also combination pagodas and temples that combine Chinese and Western cultures.

On July 2023, 7, Sun Yihua was interviewed by a reporter from China News Service. Photo by Li Yalong

In terms of social life, there are various castle walls such as Miyagi Castle and Lifang Castle, and various residences such as palaces and private houses. There are not only the east palace where the prince lived, but also the mansions, walled houses, thatched huts, etc., as well as wine shops, slaughterhouses, hotels, etc.

After research, the seemingly unreasonable architectural images in the Dunhuang grottoes have really existed, such as the 257th cave of Mogao Grottoes (Northern Wei Dynasty) by the combination of the hall, the que, and the bowl tower sha, after comparing with the ancient documents and the ancient buildings preserved in Xinjiang, combined with the spatial scale of the 254th cave of the Mogao Grottoes in the same period, it is concluded that this is the tower temple recorded in the "Book of Wei, Shi Lao Zhi".

Cave 257 of Mogao Caves (Northern Wei Dynasty). Courtesy of Dunhuang Academy

It should be a form of early Buddhist temple, in the Han Dynasty hall que style building to add the central pillar in the Western Regions pagoda, the towering tower sha stretches out of the roof, the shape has a combination of the tower and the temple, there is a combination of the central column and the two-slope roof inside, become a combined Buddhist temple with a tower and a small lecture hall, and combine the tower and the temple into a whole building.

Another example is the form of curved pillars in the Tibetan architecture of Dunhuang murals, which can be confirmed by ancient Tibetan documents. The Records of the Tibetan Kings records many ancient monasteries in the Tibetan period, including the process of bending the tops of cypress trees inward to build a two-story wooden bowl pagoda. There are many forms of Tibetan architecture, and corresponding relics can be found in areas with Tibetan influence, and their early images are preserved in the Dunhuang murals.

China News Service: What are the characteristics of these architectural images? How to witness the development and integration of Chinese architectural art?

Sun Yihua: The tower is a typical architectural image that witnesses the development of Chinese architectural art and the mutual influence and integration of Eastern and Western architectural cultures. The original form of the pagoda was a burial mound for the burial of Buddha bones (relics), which is derived from the ancient Indian sū (sū) plug wave (a hemispherical mound architecture). India's Buddha is an important symbol of worship and is often built in the middle of monasteries and worshipped by Buddhists. After Buddhism was introduced into China, according to the Buddhist scriptures, building a pagoda can get great blessings, so from India through Central Asia to Xinjiang, China, in ancient times, the place that was widely known as the Western Regions had built a lot of caves.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties of China, Buddhism flourished, and the construction of temples and towers became a trend. The tower in the Dunhuang murals has a variety of forms and variety, and the materials used to build the tower are mainly bricks and stones. The masonry tower is dominated by bowl-shaped stumbling waves; The wooden pagoda is mainly built with the traditional hall house or heavy building of the Han Dynasty, and the important symbol of the tower - the tower is added to the roof of these hall houses or heavy buildings to meet the needs of Buddhism. There are also towers made of a combination of masonry and wood, which integrate Chinese and Western elements, and the shape is more flexible.

In the process of "building a house for a temple" in ancient times, the roof of the bell tower and the Tibetan scripture building was added with a towering tower to become the symbol of the Buddhist temple. Therefore, in the murals of Buddhist temples in the Tang Dynasty, there are many images of towers on the buildings, pavilions and high platform buildings, which fully reflect the mutual influence and integration of Eastern and Western architectural cultures.

Bell tower model - Mogao Cave 217 (Tang Dynasty). Courtesy of Dunhuang Academy

China News Service: In recent years, the Dunhuang Academy has also continued to explore ways to "return to the world" the images of these ancient buildings through copying and restoration. How can we better share traditional architectural art with the public?

Sun Yihua: The architectural image in the Dunhuang grottoes starts from the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Tang and Song dynasties. The palace room, pavilion and temple in the world have become the epitome of the paradise of the Buddha country in the murals, and the palaces, towers, treasure pools, and railings in the Pure Land World have become the ultimate aesthetics of five steps on the first floor, ten steps and one pavilion, the corridor waist and the eaves and teeth are high peck, which is the flowing image of the ten-mile tower and the ancient people's depiction of the ideal Buddha country.

Western Pure Land Change - Cave 217 of Mogao Caves (Tang Dynasty). Courtesy of Dunhuang Academy

The Mogao Grottoes retain many ancient buildings, such as the eaves of Cave 196, which is one of the few surviving Tang Dynasty wooden buildings in China. In the early 20s of the 50th century, the state attached great importance to the protection and research of the Mogao Grottoes, and sent experts to survey and map the remains of the Mogao Grottoes and the surrounding ancient buildings.

With the development of modern digital technology, the flat architectural images in the murals can also be transformed into three-dimensional three-dimensional images, so that these ancient architectural images can be "brought back to the world", such as some restored single building models and 3D printed pagoda models.

In July 2022, the Dunhuang Academy launched the "Architecture" special tour route, which comprehensively presents the shape of the Dunhuang Grottoes, the building types in the murals and the architectural relics of the Mogao Grottoes. The route also added a special exhibition of "Millennium Construction - The Beauty of Architecture in Dunhuang Murals", which has been planned for many years, including more than 7 pieces (sets, pieces) of exhibits such as three-dimensional architectural restoration models, 3D printed architectural models, and digital high-definition mural replicas.

Ancient architectural models in the special exhibition "Millennium Construction: The Beauty of Architecture in Dunhuang Murals". The "single-doorway brick gate" of this model is derived from Cave 159 of Mogao Grottoes. Photo by Li Yalong

Released in April 2023, the "Digital Scripture Cave" project uses modern digital technology and documentary records to "restore" the 4D images of the Three Realms Temple, a Song Dynasty temple near the Mogao Grottoes, which has long ceased to exist in reality. The exhibition and digital promotion can help more people understand the ancient architectural art in the Dunhuang Grottoes.

China News Service: What are the implications and implications for the study of ancient Chinese architecture from the architectural images in the Dunhuang murals?

Sun Yihua: The buildings in the Dunhuang murals span about 1,000 years, showing the development and evolution of Chinese architecture in the Middle Ages. Mr. Liang Sicheng once said that there are "thousands of architectural drawings from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, large and small, of all types and all kinds of architectural drawings, which are tantamount to filling in the blank chapter of Chinese architectural history, and they are the best, most faithful and most reliable materials second to the real thing." (ENDS)

On July 2023, 7, Sun Yihua introduced the architectural image in the Dunhuang murals to a reporter from China News Service. Photo by Li Yalong

Interviewee Profile:

Sun Yihua researches data in Cave 196 of Mogao Grottoes. Photo courtesy of the interviewee

Sun Yihua, deputy research librarian of Dunhuang Academy, is mainly engaged in the maintenance, protection and surveying and mapping of ancient buildings, participated in or presided over the surveying and mapping of the Bingling Temple Grottoes, the early reinforcement of the Yulin Grottoes and the surveying and mapping of the ruins in front of the caves, the surveying and mapping, repair scheme design and maintenance and reinforcement projects of the upper, middle and lower temples and the 16th cave of Mogao Grottoes, the design and construction of the eaves maintenance scheme of the Queen Mother Palace Grottoes in Jingchuan, Gansu, and the eaves maintenance scheme design of the North Grottoes Temple in Qingyang, Gansu. He is the author of "The Complete Works of Dunhuang Grottoes: Grotto Architecture Volume", "Dunhuang Grottoes Complete Works: Architectural Picture Scroll", "Interpretation of Dunhuang in Dunhuang, Creation of Dunhuang", "Interpretation of Dunhuang Medieval Architectural Paintings", etc.