Using gold, red and black as three basic colors, the gallery is full of a warm and serious atmosphere. Within a space of 640 square meters, more than 120 specimens are put either in shrine-like showcases separated by lotus-petal shaped partitions or on open freestanding pedestals. This special design and arrangement will give audience a true feeling of walking in grottos or temples. The exhibits, dating between the Warring States period and the Ming dynasty, reveal artistic styles of Chinese sculpture in different periods. The most attractive sculptures are Buddha statues with different styles, such as simple and delicate Buddha statues of the Northern Wei, elegant and vivid Buddha statues of the Northern Qi and the Sui dynasties, gorgeously shaped and full-bodied Buddha statues of the Tang dynasty, and novel and secular Bodhisattva of the Song dynasty. Audience could watch a process how Buddhism, a foreign culture, was merging into Chinese traditional culture. |
