參觀了麥積山石窟、崆峒山、王母宮之后，今天我們來到了我們的最后一個景點——南北石窟寺。南石窟寺和北石窟寺南北輝映，是一對姐妹石窟。
Good morning, everybody. On the eastern tourist route in Gansu Province, seeking our roots and learning our ancestors, we visited Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Fuxi Temple, Kongtong Mountain and West Goddess Temple Grotto. I believe that you have learned a great deal about the culture of Buddhism and Taoism. Today we are going to visit the last scenic spot on the eastern tourist route---North Grottoes and South Grottoes. Because of their own charms, they are worth visiting.
According to the Stone Stele of North Grottoes and South Grottoes, they are sister grottoes looking into each other, with a good fame of Two Bright Pearls of North-South Grottoes. In the year of 509AD in Yongping period in the Northern Wei dynasty, they were constructed under the leading of Xi Kangsheng, with a history of more than 1500 years. These two grottoes together with Mogao Grottoes in Dun Huang, Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui and Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing are the five largest grottoes of Gansu Province in early times. The style of the sister grottoes, with its own typical forms and representative features, is similar to that of Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi and Longmen Grottoes in Henan. In the history of Chinese Buddhism grottoes art, they are the holy land for Buddhism in Eastern Long Area, and give us the reflection to the rising, developing and declining of ancient Buddhism activities in Eastern Long Area.
Between the middle period of 5th century and 6th century, Buddhism was highly esteemed by Tuoba imperial court in the Northern Wei dynasty. The emperors and high officials had a deep faith in Buddhism, and Buddhist temples were constructed in large quantity at that time. Over the whole country, the number of monks and priests reached to more than 2 million. Because of the imperial court’s going in for large-scale Buddhist temple constructions and levy exorbitant taxes, common people lived a hard life and strong oppositions were aroused at all parts of the country. In order to make people calm down and consolidate imperial political state power, Xi Kangsheng consumed a plenty of people’s money to build North-South Grottoes. But regardless of Xi KangSheng’s motive to build these two temples at that time, we must say that working people in Eastern Long Area, with their toiling hands, abilities and intelligence, created fairly exquisite art gem for the coming generations in vast loess plateau.
Eastern Long Area is one of the places of origin for Chinese civilization. North grottoes are in western side of Dong Zhi Yuan, 25 kilometers northest of Xifeng District in the city of Qing Yang. After constructed in the Northern Wei period, it were supplemented and expanded through the following successive dynasties, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang Song and Qing, and today it has developed into a grotto group on a grand dimension. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, these two grottoes were rediscovered in 1959 when a work team was conducting a reconnaissance survey on cultural relics in Gansu Province. Now there are 296 cave shrines, 2126 stone statues, 7 steles and 150 inscriptions. Cave shrines, built row upon row like a beehive, are rich in contents and diversified in forms. The whole courtyard has an area of 5000 square kilometers, 125 meters long and 40 meters wide, and the carving rock section is 120 meters long and 20 meters high. The shines, different in sizes, are alternated with each other and are cut into the wall on three layers. The stone statues are all relief sculptures and round sculptures with vivid images and various styles. Now North Grottoes are a key cultural relics unit protected by the state and a famous tourist attraction in Eastern Long Area.
No.165 cave is the largest and the most typical one in North Grottoes. Covering a total area of over 240 square meters, the cave is a high hall, grand in space and magnificent in manner, 15.7 meters long, 21.7 meters wide and 14 meters high. In the center of the cave is Seven Buddhas’ Cave. On the east, north, and south walls of the cave are seven standing Buddhas’ statues, 8 meters high each, with round faces, bright eyes, slender eyebrows, big noses, thick lips, strong bodies and patchwork outer vestments putting on, just like an image of a great Chinese man. At the either side of the cave gate stand two Highnesses, 5.8 meters in height, with suit of armor on their bodies and boots on their feet. It seems that they are staring fiercely at something and frowning their eyebrows, transmitting a spirit if vigor and integrity to frighten evil spirits. At both sides of this two Highnesses sprawl two male lions, making threatening gestures and showing awe-inspiring looking. The Seven Buddhas’ Cave is the earliest and greatest one of this kind in China, and also the representative work and the precedent for the grotto carving of this kind. In this cave, there are also 10 Assistant Bodhisattva statues, 2 彌勒佛 and a 3-meter-high Bodhisattva riding on an elephant. Apart from all these stone statues, there are many relief sculptures about Buddhist fairy tales, thousands of Buddhists and flying devas.
I have mentioned North Grottoes were first founded in the Northern Wei dynasty, but it was prosperous and flourishing until the Tang dynasty. Now the stone statue works in the Tang dynasty accounting for two thirds of the total in the grottoes are all together 198 pieces which are the most representative examples for Chinese people’s masterly and skilled carving techniques of the Tang dynasty. All these beautiful figure statues reveal not only Buddhas’ splendid lives in Western Paradise, but also the stable political situation, social opening-up, prosperous economic development, colorful culture, peaceful songs and dances in the grand Tang dynasty. We can be deeply enlightened by the surroundings before us.
Through the Northern Zhou dynasty existing very briefly in Chinese history, the economy and culture were also developed. In this era, 13 grotto shrines were cut in the grottoes; among them, No.240 Cave is just the representative one for carving art in the Northern Zhou dynasty. After visiting No.240 Cave and walking towards north until the farest end of the grottoes, we can come to Goddess Temple. At Xuan Tong period in the Qing dynasty, local villagers raised money and built this temple, where people once prayed for the safety and flourishing for families. The local conditions and customs of Eastern Long Area in modern times are fully reflected here.
Many stele inscriptions in various dynasties not only clearly recording the carving age but also mirroring various aspects of society and history are also completely preserved in North Grottoes. Furthermore, they are very valuable written scripts for the study of social life and social class contradictions of relevant dynasties and periods.
That’s what we see about North Grottoes, but what about South Grottoes? Now let’s take a bus to visit it.
South Grottoes are located on the cliff at the north bank of Jing River, 7.5 kilometers northeast of Jingchuan County. The grotto group with a face to the north consists of 5 caves, but among them, the stone statues only in No.1 Cave are completely preserved. In 1988, the grottoes are listed as a key culture relics unit protected by the state.
South Grottoes are grand on the scale, and the expressions of the stone statues look imposing, solemn, kind, polished, vivid and exquisite, showing that the carving style had transitioned from gracefully vigorous image in early times of the Northern Wei dynasty to delicately slim image in later times. It is no doubt that the stone statues’ models were influenced by those of Longmen Grottoes, but the local distinctions were still clearly seen. In No.1 cave, there are all together seven Buddhas’ statues. Three of them are on the north cliff, two of them are on the east cliff and the rest two are on the west cliff, each of which is an erect statue with a height of 6 meters. Beside each Buddha statue is an Assistant Bodhisattva, also an erect statue, with a height of 3 meters. At the either exterior side of cave gate is a Muscleman. The seven Buddhas with big heads and hands are plain and robust. Their faces, with large noses and ears on it, look plump, kind, honest and solemn. They are high up in the air and are bowing their heads to watch all living creatures. The Bodhisattvas with smiles on their faces look graceful and pretty. The Buddhas wear loose-fitting gown and patchwork outer vestment (cassocks), but for Bodhisattvas, their upper bodies are all bare and apron strings are tied around their lower parts of bodies. At the top of the grottoes, Buddhist fairy tales are carved on relief sculptures, with a group of pictures for one plot and distinctive motif, depicting Sakamoni’s life from his birthplace to becoming a monk. The carving techniques are terse, skillful and natural, showing they are art works of a high level.
We are visiting No.4 West Minor Cave now. All of the Buddha statues in this cave were stolen in 1925, and they are kept in Harvard University now. Later, this cave was repaired, and the beauty of the Three-generation Goddess of Mercy is highly praised by visitors. At the either side of cliff are lifelike images of Sixteen Arhats, Eight Bodhisattvas and Six Musclemen, with various shapes and facial expressions.
North grottoes and South Grottoes are very charming and attractive, so we can not fully enjoy the varieties of this two scenic spots at such a short time. The local customs are straight and uninhabited; the people of Eastern Long Area in Loess Plateau are honesty, kind, and warm-hearted. We warmly invite every one of you to come here to visit and go sightseeing in different seasons. Every time you come, we will serve you sincerely, and every time, I promise you can find something new.
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