Flat chess pattern is a pattern painted on the flat roof of a cave.

Pingqi pattern is painted on the flat roof of the cave pattern.

Mogao Caves flat chess art form:

1. Individual composition form

Dunhuang Mogao Caves flat chess art, in addition to the Beiliang 268 caves appeared in the five-layer overlapping flat chess, the rest of the skeleton, are three from large to small squares to the heart of the Lotus Center as the center of each rotating at a 45-degree angle of decreasing, the formation of a number of square wells overlapping structural patterns, and then the formation of open space between the square wells to paint a relatively fixed. Then in the square wells formed in the empty space to paint a relatively fixed pattern.

The design of the skeleton of each square of Pingqi is in the form of centripetal clustering. That is, the three layers of squares of different sizes are decreasing in size with the multi-layer round wheel-shaped lotus as the center, and the rotating decrease of the squares makes the focus of the picture concentrate on the large round wheel lotus, thus enhancing the centripetal gathering power of the pattern;

At the same time, the four corners of the four corners of the first square are flying with the multi-layer lotus as the center of the rotating flight, and this flight is formed into a virtual circle in the invisible space.

Not only does it further enhance the centripetal cohesion of the pattern, but it also unifies the three-layer square and the large circular lotus as a whole, which makes the structure appear more tight and effective, and also gives the whole picture a melody of movement.

This centripetal structure of the pattern, is designed in the triangular and square space has been framed, such as Mogao Grottoes Pingqi four corners of the flying sky, Manipura light flame pattern, the center of the lotus, they are very compact and full of placed in a limited space, that is, suitable for the space, and because of the flying sky, Manipura Pearl light flame pattern is axisymmetric layout, the center of the lotus is a centrally symmetrical layout.

Thus, the early Mogao Grottoes Pingqi not only has the attribute of suitable pattern, but also has the characteristics of uniform suitable pattern. At the same time, in terms of the pattern of the corners of the square well, but also has the characteristics of the corner pattern.

Each square of the Mogao Grottoes is a product of the combination of the flush fit pattern and the corner pattern, and the centripetal structure integrates these two separate patterns, which is a distinctive feature of the separate patterns of the early Mogao Grottoes' flat chess art.

2. Continuous composition form

Observing the flat chess art from the whole, its skeleton shows another form, which is to take a single flat chess as a unit for the front and back of the left and right closely arranged combinations, thus constituting a continuous pattern. As the top of the central tower of the Mogao Caves occupies the position of the continuous development of the flat chess pattern to the four directions, and the flat chess can only be presented in the horizontal and vertical bipartite continuity pattern,

but the composition of the continuity pattern here has been different from the traditional meaning of the bipartite continuity, and here because of the existence of the central column presents the "mouth" shape of continuity pattern, so it is difficult for us to distinguish the flat chess art as a whole, and it is also difficult for us to distinguish the flat chess art as a whole. Therefore, it is difficult for us to attribute the composition of the Mogao Grottoes Pingqi simply to the bipartite continuity or quadripartite continuity.

The two-square continuity pattern, however, is more clearly expressed in each side of the flat chess pattern on the side of the well. In addition to 268 caves square well side decoration pattern completely off, the rest of the flat chess side decorations to continuous pattern performance, such as the Northern Wei 251 caves decorated with a single leaf bipartite continuous linden pattern, double leaf bipartite continuous linden pattern, the Western Wei 288 caves wavy single-leaf bipartite continuous linden pattern, lattice and square lattice quadripartite continuous geometric pattern, and so on.

Through the above analysis, it can be seen that the Dunhuang Mogao Caves flat chess art form, is also followed by a separate form of composition and continuous composition form of the structural mode of production, but also different from other regions and presents the Dunhuang region's own particularity: from the centripetal structure will be uniformly suitable for pattern and corner pattern integrated with a separate composition pattern and the "mouth" and the "word" continuous composition pattern. The "mouth" continuous composition pattern.