Guyang cave

Guyang cave was excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It has a history of 1500 years. It is the earliest one among the Longmen Grottoes. There are many small caves in the cave, which are exquisite and rich. It is a valuable material for studying the grottoes art of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The inscription calligraphy in the cave is simple and unsophisticated, which is a treasure for studying the history of calligraphy.

Guyang cave

Guyang cave was excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It has a history of 1500 years. It is the earliest one in the Longmen Grottoes. There are many small caves in the cave, which are exquisite and rich. It is a valuable material for studying the grottoes art of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The inscription calligraphy in the cave is simple and unsophisticated, which is a treasure for studying the history of calligraphy.

structure

Guyang cave is located in the middle of the southern section of the west mountain of Longmen. It was excavated in 493 ad or before. It is considered to be the Gongde cave built by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty for his grandmother, Empress Dowager Feng. The number of princes, nobles, senior officials and monks who supported Emperor Xiaowen's reform and capital moving was also more than that of the vowing statues in the cave. Longmen Grottoes is one of the earliest, longest lasting and most abundant caves in Longmen Grottoes. It is also the most concentrated cave in Northern Wei Dynasty where the royal nobles made vows. There are more than 1000 Buddhist niches carved on the four walls and the top of the cave, with more than 800 inscriptions. It is one of the caves with the most preserved inscriptions in China. There is a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas on the main wall of the cave. The main Buddha is in a bun with a long round face and a thin body. He is wearing a cassock with a broad ribbon. He practices Zen meditation and sits on a square seat. The Bodhisattva with a crown on his head has a delicate face, a quiet and dignified expression and a graceful posture.

There are many niches on the four walls and the top of Guyang cave. The carvings on the lintel and backlight of the niches are elaborate and tedious. The scenes of worshiping Buddha, architectural styles and decorative patterns on the lintel are very varied, which perfectly shows the superb level of painting and carving skills at that time. There are nearly a thousand inscriptions in Guyang cave, which is one of the most preserved sculptures in Chinese grottoes. Nineteen of the well-known Weibei works "Longmen 20pin" are from Guyang cave. They are upright and generous in shape, vigorous and plain in momentum, and are among Li Kai characters. They can be regarded as the best Weibei works. They are favored by calligraphy lovers at home and abroad for their unique charm. Kang Youwei in the Qing Dynasty, after a thorough and detailed study of the 20 products of Longmen, thought that they had ten beauties: "bold and powerful, powerful momentum, leaping strokes, thick strokes, elegant mood, flying spirit, full interest, good bone skills, natural structure, rich flesh and blood." Give a very high evaluation.

The main wall is the three statues made by Emperor Xiaowen. The Buddha Sakyamuni sits in the middle, with a height of 7.82 meters. His head is made into a bun with a long round face (now his face has been destroyed). His body is thin, and he is wearing a broad robe with a cassock. His hands are folded to form a Zen seal. Two Bodhisattvas are standing on both sides of the statue of the main Buddha. They wear a crown and a beautiful face. Their upper body is exposed and they wear a long skirt. They have solemn and quiet expression and graceful posture. They are the representative works of Longmen in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The statues in the large and small niches of Guyang cave are all the thin and beautiful bone statues popular in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, which have the characteristics of the times. The lintels of the niches and the backlight and head light of the Buddha statues in the niches are very varied and beautiful patterns, which show the high level of carving and painting skills at that time

.

history

Longmen Grottoes is one of the four largest Grottoes in China, which is located 13 kilometers away from the southern suburb of Luoyang City. As early as 1961, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council. In 1982, it was announced as the first batch of national scenic spots by the State Council. In November 2000, UNESCO listed the Longmen Grottoes on the world heritage list. Longmen Grottoes were excavated before and after Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital to Luoyang (a.d.493). After the construction of the Western Wei Dynasty, the Eastern Wei Dynasty, the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, and the Five Dynasties, a one kilometer long grotto remains with more than 2000 caves and more than 100000 statues were built here. In the process of more than 500 years of construction, there were two climaxes of statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Up to now, most of the thousands of niches preserved in the two mountains of yique are cultural heritages of these two times. Among the numerous caves carved in the Northern Wei Dynasty, Guyang cave, Binyang middle cave, Lianhua cave and grotto temple are the most representative. Among them, the statues of a group of royal nobles and court ministers in the early period of Luoyang, the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, are concentrated in Guyang cave, which typically reflects the historical state of sycophantic Buddhas in the whole country of the Northern Wei Dynasty. These grotesque and dazzling stone carvings represent a kind of Gandhara Buddhist art style that first appeared after the grotto temple art entered Luoyang.

Address: in the south of Longmen Mountain

Longitude: 112.4759979248

Latitude: 34.5509987744

Chinese PinYin : Gu Yang Dong