The Vairocana Buddha on the back wall has a Bodhisattva to his left wearing a crown and pearls. Bodhisattvas were still 'of the world,' beings in Mahayana Buddhism who temporarily did not seek Enlightenment to bring Enlightenment to the rest of the world. On his other side, a "divine general treads an evil spirit underfoot" ("Sacred Destinations," Longmen Caves, 2010). The combined images of the most spiritual and enlightened of all manifestations of the Buddha, a spiritual deity still striving to Enlighten those in the world, and national symbolism illustrate how Buddhism was not seen as innately contradictory with the aims of the nation-state.
Sources:
"Longmen Caves." Sacred Destinations. March 1, 2010.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/china/longmen-caves
O'Brien, Barbara. "The Five Dhyani Buddhas: Vairocana Buddha" About.com.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/thetriyaka/ig/Five-Dhyani-Buddhas/Vairocana-Buddha.htm
Category D
Summarize the history of the porcelain traditions in China from the Yuan to the present. Give examples.
The Yuan Dynasty saw the development of what is now thought of as 'traditional' white and blue Chinese porcelain. Blue decoration came to be painted onto the body of the porcelain before glazing, probably beginning with the Tang dynasty, to give the work a more refined appearance. However, some different colors were manifest, even during the Yuan period: a Yuan funerary urn has been excavated, decorated with underglaze blue and underglaze red, dated around 1338 ("Chinese Porcelain," All About China, 2010).
During the Ming Dynasty, and during the Chenghua period, doucai porcelain combining underglaze and overglaze colors became more popular. "Blue pigment was used to outline the designs on the raw clay, which was then coated with white glaze, placed in the kiln and fired at a high temperature. The next step was to paint designs within the blue-and-white outline. The piece was then fired again. Multiple layers of color on porcelain vessels 'contended for beauty', hence the name doucai (contending colors)" ("Porcelain," Chinese Culture online, 2010). Finally, the Qing dynasty oversaw the perfection of the blue-and-white porcelain technique and "painted on porcelain vessels during this period were landscapes, human figures, flowers and birds" of artistry equal to that of paintings (Porcelain, Chinese Culture online, 2010). This detailed style would later be copied by Europeans and also used as a template...
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