Information about the "Flying Sky" of Mogao Grottoes

Dunhuang Feitian

Feitian

Dunhuang Feitian is the business card of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and a symbol of Dunhuang art. Just see the graceful flying sky. People will think of the art of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Among the 492 caves in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, almost all have flying apsaras painted on them. According to Mr. Chang Shuhong's "Dunhuang Feitian." The preface to the large-scale art album states that "there are more than 4,500 figures in total." The large number of them can be said to be the grottoes that preserve the most Feitian in the world and among Buddhist grottoes and temples in China. The origin of the name Dunhuang Feitian and the characteristics of the times are summarized as follows: 1. The origin of the name Dunhuang Feitian. In Buddhism, reincarnation into the Pure Land Divine figures in the heaven are called "Heaven", such as "Great Brahma", "Gongde Tian", "Good Talents", "Thirty-three Heavens", etc. The Tang Zang "Golden Guangming Sutra" says: "Foreign gods are also called heaven." In Buddhism, the gods flying in the sky are called Feitian. Flying apsaras are often painted in Buddhist cave murals. In Taoism, mythological figures who ascend to heaven are called "immortals", such as "leading immortals", "celestial immortals", "barefoot immortals", etc., and gods who can fly in the air are called flying immortals. . Volume 622 of "Taiping Yulan" of the Song Dynasty quotes "Tianxianpin": "Flying in the clouds, deified with light movements, I think of heavenly immortals, just like clouds of flying immortals." Flying immortals are often painted in the tomb murals, symbolizing the soul energy of the owner of the tomb. Ascend to heaven. After Buddhism was introduced to China, it communicated and merged with Chinese Taoism. In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, when Buddhism was first introduced, the flying gods in murals were also called flying immortals. There was no distinction between flying immortals and flying immortals. Later, with the further development of Buddhism in China, although the flying gods of Buddhism and the flying immortals of Taoism were integrated with each other in artistic images, in terms of names, only the flying gods in Buddhist cave murals were called flying gods. Dunhuang Feitian is the flying god painted in the Dunhuang Grottoes, and later became a special term for Dunhuang mural art.

Dunhuang Feitian is not a god in terms of origin and function. It is a complex of gandharva and kumbhaka. Gandharva is the transliteration of Indian Sanskrit, and the free translation is the God of Heavenly Song. Because he exudes fragrance all over his body, he is also called the God of Fragrance. Kinnara is the transliteration of ancient Sanskrit in India, and the free translation is the God of Tianle. Gandharva and Kinnara were originally the gods of entertainment, singing and dancing in ancient Indian mythology and Brahmanism. Myths and legends say that one of them is good at singing and the other is good at dancing. They are inseparable and harmonious. They are a loving couple. Later, they were absorbed by Buddhism and transformed into two gods among the eight gods of Tianlong. Hui Lin of the Tang Dynasty explained in "Sounds and Meanings": "Zhendala, an ancient Kinnara, has a subtle sound, can make subtle sounds, and can sing and dance. The male has a horse head and a human body, and can sing; the female is upright, Able to dance. This goddess is often married to Gandharva. "Gandharva and Kinnara are included in the eight deities of heaven and dragon in Buddhism. With the development of Buddhist theory, artistic aesthetics and artistic creation, they were originally The ferocious appearance of the Horse-headed Man Peak has gradually evolved into a celestial being with beautiful features, pretty eyes, dancing gracefully, and soaring in the sky. Gandharva and Kinnara originally had different functions among the eight gods of Buddhism. Gandharva --- the God of Music's task is to spread fragrance in the Buddhist Pure Land world, present flowers, treasures, and praise to the Buddha, live in flowers, fly in the heavenly palace, Kinnara --- the God of Song's task is to In the pure land world of the Buddha, they played music, sang and danced for the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, gods, and gods. They lived in the heavenly palace and could not fly in the sky. Later, the functions of Gandharvas and Kinnara were mixed into one; Gandharvas also played musical instruments. Singing and dancing; Kinnara also rushed out of the heavenly palace and soared into the sky. Gandharvas and Kinnara are men and women, they merge into one body and become the Dunhuang Feitian of later generations. During the Western Wei Dynasty, Feitian, who played music and sang and danced, appeared in Mogao Grottoes. After the Sui Dynasty, Gandharvas and Kinnara were blended together and became indistinguishable. It's just that when the music and dance circles wrote articles, in order to distinguish them from musicians, they named the Gandharvas who played music in the early Tiangong as Tiangong musicians, and named the Feitian who later merged into one, holding music, singing and dancing, as Feitian Music. From the artistic image of Dunhuang Feitian, it is not the artistic image of one culture, but a complex of multiple cultures. Although the hometown of Feitian is in India, Dunhuang Feitian is the culmination of Indian culture, Western Region culture, and Central Plains culture. It is a flying apsara with Chinese cultural characteristics that has been integrated into one through long-term exchanges and events between Indian Buddhist heavenly beings and Chinese Taoist feathered beings, as well as the flying apsaras from the Western Regions and the flying apsaras from the Central Plains. It is a flying apsara that has no wings, no feathers, no round light, relies on colorful clouds instead of relying on colorful clouds, and relies mainly on fluttering dresses and flying ribbons. Dunhuang Feitian can be said to be the most genius creation of a Chinese artist and a miracle in the history of world art.

2. Characteristics of the Feitian in Dunhuang of the times. The Feitian in the Dunhuang murals appeared at the same time as the creation of the Huai Cave. Starting from the Sixteen Kingdoms, it went through ten dynasties and lasted for more than a thousand years. Until the end of the Yuan Dynasty, with the Dunhuang The grottoes were built and then disappeared. In this long history of more than a thousand years, due to changes in historical circumstances such as the change of dynasties, the transfer of political power, the development and prosperity of the economy, the frequent exchanges of Chinese and Western cultures, Feitian's artistic image, posture and artistic conception, style and taste have all changed. Constantly changing, different eras and different artists have left us Feitian with different styles and characteristics. For more than a thousand years, Dunhuang Feitian has formed a unique history of evolution and development. Its evolution history is generally consistent with the entire Dunhuang art development history and is divided into four stages. 1. Rise period. From the Northern Liang Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 366--535), which lasted for more than 170 years, the Dunhuang Feitian during this period was deeply influenced by the Apsaras from India and the Western Regions, and was generally a Western Region-style Feitian. However, the characteristics of Feitian in the two dynasties during this period were also slightly different.

In the Northern Liang Dynasty of Mogao Grottoes, most of the flying Apsaras were painted on the top of the cave, in the decoration of the caisson on the top of the cave, on the upper edge of the Buddhist niche and on the head of the subject of the Jataka story painting. Its modeling and artistic characteristics are: a round head, an oval face, a straight nose and big eyes, a big mouth and big ears, round earrings, a bun, or wearing a mandrel or an Indian five-jeweled crown, a short and stout figure. The upper body is half-naked, with a long skirt wrapped around the waist and a large scarf draped over the shoulders. Due to the sfumato technique, the color changes, resulting in a white nose bridge and white eyeballs. It is similar to the Feitian in the grottoes such as Qiuci in the Western Regions, in terms of shape, face, posture, color, and painting skills. look alike. Because when the Mogao Grottoes were first built, the painters in the Dunhuang area were not familiar with Buddhist themes and foreign art, and were in the imitation stage. They used bold brushwork and bold coloring, which appeared rough and simple. There are only three Mogao Grottoes in Beiliang Grottoes. The flying apsaras that are most characteristic of the Northern Liang style are the flying apsaras above the main characters in the miniature story painting on the north wall of Cave 275. They have round lights on their heads, wearing Indian five-jeweled crowns, or buns on their heads, and their upper bodies are half-naked. , the body is in a "U" shape, the feet are upturned, or the hands are separated, or the hands are joined, and there is a posture of flying in the air, but this flying posture is very awkward and feels like falling. The "U"-shaped body also appears to be straight and stiff, not yet rounded, slightly curved, and there are remnants of the flying posture of Indian stone sculptures (see the picture on page 15). The scope of Feitian paintings in Mogao Grottoes during the Northern Wei Dynasty expanded. Not only were they painted on the chess pieces on the top of the cave, the caisson on the top of the cave, the story paintings, and the Buddhist niches, but they were also painted on the sermon diagrams and both sides of the Buddhist niches. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, some caves still retain the characteristics of the Western Region-style flying apsaras. However, the images of flying apsaras in some caves have undergone obvious changes and gradually transformed into Chinese styles. Feitian's face has changed from round to slender, with clear eyebrows, a plump nose, a small mouth, and well-proportioned facial features. There is a round light on the head, or a five-jeweled crown, or a round bun. The proportions of the body gradually become slender, and some legs are twice as long as the waist. The flying postures are also diverse. Some are swimming across space, some are taking off with their arms raised, and some are flying with their hands together. They are heroic and generous. The momentum is like soaring clouds and flying cranes. Where the flying sky falls, fragrant flowers fall down, which is quite poetic like "flowers falling from the sky fill the sky". The flying apsaras with the most Northern Wei style are the two flying apsaras painted on the north wall of Cave 254 above the story painting of "The King of Corpses" and the two flying apsaras on the back of the north wall of cave 260 above the illustration. The outstanding features of this four-body apsara are: a round head, an Indian-style five-jeweled crown, and a slender face. Due to discoloration, it has a white nose bridge, white eye circles, and a small face. The upper body is half naked, and the legs are slender, forming a "U" shape with a large opening. The skirts fluttered, the scarves flew across the sky, and the ceiling fell all around. Although Feitian's body and streamers have changed color, the smudges and lines of Feitian's dress and ribbons are very clear. Feitian's flight is dynamic and powerful, and his posture is free and graceful. 2. Innovation period. From the Western Wei Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty (535--618 AD), it took about 80 years. During this period, the Feitian of Dunhuang was in a stage where Buddhist heavenly beings and Taoist feathered beings, and the Feitian of the Western Regions and the Feitian of the Central Plains were communicating, integrating, and innovating and changing. It was a combination of Chinese and Western Feitian. The Feitian of the Western Wei Dynasty in Mogao Grottoes is generally painted in the same position as that of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It’s just that during the Western Wei Dynasty, two types of Feitian with different styles and characteristics appeared, one was the Western Regions-style Feitian and the other was the Central Plains-style Feitian. The Western Region-style Feitian inherits the shape and painting style of the Northern Wei Dynasty Feitian. Among them, the biggest changes are: Gandharva, as the god of incense, scatters flowers and flies into the sky, picks up various musical instruments and flies in the air; Kinnara, as the god of singing and dancing, performs musical instruments in the heavenly palace, breaks out of the sky fence and also flies in the sky . The two gods merged into one and became the later Feitian, also known as Sanhua Feitian and Jiyue Feitian. His representative works include the Four-Body Musical Flying Apsara above the Buddhist niche on the west wall of Cave 249 (see the picture on page 18). The Central Plains-style flying apsaras are a new type of flying apsaras created in the Mogao Grottoes by the Central Plains art style brought from Luoyang when Wang Rong of Dongyang was the governor of Guazhou (ancient Dunhuang). This kind of flying apsara is a fusion of Chinese Taoist flying immortals and Hindu flying apsaras: the Chinese Taoist flying immortals have lost their wings, bare their upper bodies, wear necklaces around their necks, long skirts around their waists, and colorful ribbons on their shoulders; the Indian Buddhist flying immortals have lost their wings The round light and the Indian crown were tied up, and the Taoist crown was put on. The character image is promoted to have a Central Plains "beautiful bones and clear image" shape, with a slender figure, a thin face and a long neck, a wide and narrow forehead, a straight nose, beautiful eyes, thin and bright eyebrows, an upturned corner of the mouth, and a slight smile. The most representative one is the twelve flying apsaras on the upper floor of the south wall of Cave 282. These twelve flying apsaras, with their heads tied in double buns, their upper bodies exposed, long skirts tied around their waists, and colorful ribbons draped over their shoulders, have slender figures and form a wide-open horizontal bow shape. They fly against the wind and play waist drums, clappers, flutes, horizontal flutes, reeds, and other instruments. Pipa, ruanxian, harp and other musical instruments. The surrounding ceiling is spinning and the clouds are drifting, setting off the flying sky, flying in the wind, as light as a swallow, taking care of each other, free and happy, roaming in space. .

The Northern Zhou Dynasty was a minority regime established by the Xianbei people in the northwest. Although its reign was short (557--581 AD), many caves were built in the Mogao Grottoes. The rulers of the Xianbei people believed in Buddhism and had good connections with the Western Regions, so the Western Region-style flying apsaras appeared again in the Mogao Grottoes. This new flying apsara has the style of the apsaras from the Qiuci, Kizil and other grottoes, with a round face, a strong body, and long legs. He is short, has a round head, wears an Indian crown, has an exposed upper body, has large breasts and a round navel, wears a long skirt around his waist and a scarf around his shoulders. The most striking thing is that the face and body were dyed using a concave and convex blending method. Due to discoloration, five white spots appeared: white edges, white nose bridge, white eye sockets, and white chin. The flying posture is in an open "U" shape, the body is short and strong, and the movement is simple, almost returning to the characteristics of the flying apsara painting style of the Northern Liang period of Mogao Grottoes. However, the image is much richer than that in the Northern Liang period, and there are many Jiyue Feitian.

The Feitian with the most Northern Zhou style is the Feitian in Cave 290 and Cave 428. Feitian in these two caves. He has a strong body, a plump face, a round head, and wears an Indian crown. His facial features are white, his upper body is exposed, he wears a long skirt around his waist, and a scarf around his shoulders. His body is dyed thickly with uneven smudges, and his breasts are enlarged and his navel is discolored due to discoloration. more prominent. The Ji Le Tian Fei in Cave 428 has rich shapes. Some play the pipa, some the harp, some the transverse flute, or some the waist drum. They are vivid in image and graceful in posture. Especially the flying figure on the west side of the south wall, holding a recorder in both hands, kicking the purple gold crown with both feet, long belts flying from under the body, ceilings falling all around, and its flying posture is like a nimble swallow swooping down (see Chapter 2). Figures on pages 24, 25, 26, and 38). The Sui Dynasty was the era when the number of flying apsaras in Mogao Grottoes paintings was greatest, and it was also an era when the flying apsaras in Mogao Grottoes had the largest variety and richest postures. In addition to the flying apsaras painted in the Northern Dynasties, the flying apsaras of the Sui Dynasty were mainly painted around the caisson on the top of the cave, around the upper level of the cave, and on both sides of the niche on the west wall. They mostly appeared in groups. The style of the flying apsaras in the Sui Dynasty can be summarized into four different styles. Same. Regional characteristics are different. In the caves of the Sui Dynasty, there were both Western Region-style flying apsaras and Central Plains-style flying apsaras. It is also today's combination of Chinese and Western styles.

Face shapes and body shapes are different. There are round faces and delicate faces; there are strong and slender bodies. But most of them have slender figures, moderate proportions, soft and slender waists, and graceful figures. The clothes are different, some are half-naked, and some are like Zhangzhi; some are wearing sleeveless short skirts, and some are wearing wide-sleeved long skirts; some are wearing crowns, some are wearing buns, and there are also bald monks. Flying style. The flying postures are different, some are flying up, some are flying down, some are flying with the wind, and some are flying against the wind, some are flying solo, and some are flying in a group, but the flying posture is no longer in a "U" shape. The body stretches more freely. Generally speaking, Feitian in the Sui Dynasty was in a period of communication, integration, exploration, and innovation. The general trend is to develop in the direction of Sinicization, which laid the foundation for the complete Sinicization of Feitian in the Tang Dynasty.

The Feitian with the most Sui Dynasty style is the Feitian in Cave 427 and Cave 404. Cave 427 is one of the large caves in the Sui Dynasty. It is also the cave with the most paintings of flying apsaras in the Sui Dynasty. On the four walls of this cave, there are 108 flying apsaras surrounding the cave along the railings of the Tiangong. These 108 flying apsaras all wear crowns on their heads, are half-naked on their upper bodies, have necklaces on their necks, bracelets on their hands, long skirts around their waists, and colorful ribbons around their shoulders. Many of them have the legacy of the shapes and costumes of the apsaras from the Western Regions. Although the skin color has darkened, the image is still very clear. Some have their hands clasped together, some are holding lotus flowers, some are holding flower trays, some are scattering flowers, and some are holding musical instruments such as harps, pipas, flutes, and harps, facing a Flying around the cave. Its postures are diverse, its body is light, its long flowing skirt and flying ribbons are curled up in the wind. All around Feitian, floating clouds and falling flowers are flying, which is very dynamic and full of vitality. Cave 404 is a medium-sized cave from the middle and late Sui Dynasty. The four walls of the cave are painted with heavenly palace railings, and the flying sky surrounds the cave. Just like the flying apsaras in Cave 427, they have different postures. Some are holding lotuses, some are holding flower trays, some are scattering flowers, and some are holding various musical instruments. They are flying against the wind in one direction, with light bodies and graceful postures. But there have been great changes in jewelry and clothing: there is no round head, no crown, some have a peach-shaped fairy bun, some have a double-ring fairy bun, some have a fairy boy bun, the face is egg-shaped, and the eyebrows are clear. Rice has a slender figure, light and soft clothes, and long and wide towels. The clothes, face, and body are like those of Feitian in the early Tang Dynasty, which have been safely Chineseized (see the pictures on pages 52-60). 3. The heyday. From the beginning to the late Tang Dynasty (618-970 AD), it lasted for about 300 years throughout the Tang Dynasty. The Dunhuang Flying Apsara is developed and created based on the traditional culture and art of this nation, continuously absorbing the elements of the Indian Flying Apsara, and integrating the achievements of the Western Regions and the Central Plains Flying Apsara. Starting from the Sixteen Kingdoms, it went through five dynasties: Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui Dynasties. In a hundred years, Dunhuang Feitian completed the mutual exchange, absorption, and integration of China and foreign countries, east and west, north and south, and completed the Sinicization process. In the Tang Dynasty, Dunhuang Feitian entered a mature period, and its artistic image reached its most perfect stage. During this period, the Dunhuang flying apsaras no longer had the style of flying apsaras from India and the Western Regions, and were completely Chinese-style flying apsaras. The Tang Dynasty was the dynasty with the largest number of large-scale Sutra paintings in the Mogao Grottoes. Almost all four walls of the cave are occupied by large-scale Sutra paintings. Feitian is also mainly painted in large-scale warp paintings. In terms of subject matter, on the one hand, it shows the scenes of Buddha preaching in large-scale sutra paintings, with flowers scattered, singing, dancing, and praise as offerings; on the other hand, it shows the heavenly realm of the Buddhist kingdom in the large-scale sutra paintings - the "Western Pure Land" and the "Eastern Pure Land" Waiting for the joy of paradise. The apsaras circled the Buddha's head or soared over the Paradise. Some stepped on the colorful clouds and landed slowly; some raised their heads and raised their arms and soared into the sky; some held flowers in their hands and soared into the sky; some held flower trays in their hands, Floating across the sky. The fluttering skirts and flying dance ribbons are just like the poetic and picturesque description of the great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai's poem praising fairies: "Hibiscus in bare hands, walking on tiptoe. The colorful ribbons are trailing, floating up to the sky." The grave experts of the Dunhuang Academy divide the Tang Dynasty art of Dunhuang Grottoes into four stages: the early Tang Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the middle Tang Dynasty and the late Tang Dynasty. These four stages are further divided into two periods: the early and prosperous Tang Dynasty is the early period, that is, the Tang Dynasty directly ruled the Dunhuang area (AD 618--781 AD); the middle and late Tang Dynasty is the later period, that is, the Tufan people occupied Dunhuang. area, and the period when Zhang Yichao, the governor of the Hexi Guiyi Army, was in charge of the Dunhuang area (781--907 AD).

Artistic style best reflects the political, economic, and social forms of the era. Feitian in the early Tang Dynasty was characterized by enterprising, heroic, powerful, free and unrestrained, and strange appearance. The ever-changing beauty of flight. This is consistent with the enlightened politics, strong national power, prosperous economy, rich culture, and open and enterprising spirit of the early Tang Dynasty. The flying apsaras that are most characteristic of the early Tang Dynasty style are the double flying apsaras painted in Cave 321 of the early Tang Dynasty and the four flying apsaras painted in Cave 320 of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

On both sides of the Buddhist niche on the west wall of Cave 321 are two figures of flying apsaras. The flying posture of these two Feitian is very graceful. Although Feitian's face and body have turned black, the outline of the eyebrows, body posture, and the lines of the ribbons on the dress are very clear: the figure is slim, the head is held high, the legs are raised, The flowers are scattered with both hands, and the skirts and scarves stretch with the wind, falling slowly from top to bottom, like two swallows flying in the air, showing the beauty of graceful and light flight (see pictures on pages 66 and 67). The Four Flying Apsaras in Cave 320 are painted above the canopy above the head of Amitabha Buddha in "The Transformation of the Pure Land of the West" on the south wall. Two bodies on each side, in a symmetrical form, chase each other around the canopy: one in front, spreading flowers with his hands, looking back, raising his arms in pursuit. Calling in front and responding in the back, it shows a kind of spirit that is both enterprising and free, as well as the beauty of flight. Around Feitian, colorful clouds float and fragrant flowers fall, which not only shows Feitian making offerings to the Buddha, but also expresses the freedom and joy of the Buddhist paradise. Although Feitian's body has turned black and his face is unclear, the overall image is clear, with a slender figure, a light posture, accurate human body proportions, smooth and powerful line drawings, and bright and rich colors. It is one of the representative works of Feitian in the Tang Dynasty (see pages 76 and 79) picture). Feitian in the late Tang Dynasty no longer had the aggressive spirit and free and joyful mood of the early period in terms of momentum and posture. In terms of artistic modeling, the clothes have changed from bright and rich to elegant and light, the human body has changed from plump and delicate to thin and simple, and the expression has changed from excitement and joy to calm and melancholy. Among them, the most representative ones are the several flying apsaras painted on the west wall of the large-scale "Nirvana Sutra" on the west wall of Cave 158 in the Middle Tang Dynasty. These flying apsaras are flying around the Bodhi tree cover on the upper layer of the "Nirvana Sutra". , some are holding flower plates, some are holding necklaces, some are holding incense burners, some are playing Qiang flutes, and some are scattering flowers and making offerings to the Buddha. But his expression was calm and there was no sense of joy. The solemn and solemn expression revealed a sad and sad look, which reflected a religious state of "sorrow between heaven and man". At the same time, it also reflected the decline of national power in the late Tang Dynasty. , the worries of the Chinese people and the mood of the people praying to the gods and Buddhas to return to the Tang Dynasty when the Tubo people ruled the Dunhuang area. Among these bodies, the one located on the north side of Baogai has the most expressive posture and expression. In its flying posture, its head is held high, its chest is held high, its hands are holding a necklace, its legs are raised back, surrounding the treasure cover, falling gently from top to bottom, with long belts flying on its back and colorful flowers swirling under its chest. The clothes are simple and elegant, the body is only drawn with lines, the features are delicate, the expression is solemn and slightly sad. The flying posture is no longer as exciting and light as in the early Tang Dynasty, and seems a bit heavy (see the picture on page 88). 4. Period of decline. From the Five Dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty, including the Five Dynasties, the Song Dynasty, the Xixia Dynasty, and the Yuan Dynasty (907--1368 AD), it lasted for more than 460 years. During this period, Dunhuang Feitian inherited the remnants of the Tang Dynasty, and there was no innovation in the dynamics of prison sentences. formulation. There is no longer the innovative and changeable spirit of the Sui Dynasty or the enterprising spirit of the Tang Dynasty. Although Feitian's artistic level and style characteristics are different, they are not as good as each generation, which gradually promotes the original artistic life. The Feitian style of these four dynasties is briefly described as follows: The Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty were the periods when the Hexi Guiyi Army Cao's regime governed the Dunhuang area. Feitian in this period inherited the remaining styles of the Tang Dynasty, but there were no innovative works, and their flying was poor and no longer alive, which completely promoted the angry and cheerful tone of Feitian in the Tang Dynasty. However, the Cao regime believed in Buddhism and built or renovated a large number of caves in the Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Grottoes. It also established a painting academy and hired some famous painters at the time to inherit the style of the Tang Dynasty. Some excellent flying masterpieces were left behind. His representative works are the Feitian in Cave 16 of Yulin Grottoes and Cave 327 of Mogao Grottoes. Cave 16 of Yulin Grottoes is a cave from the early Five Dynasties. Although the flying apsaras painted in the cave are not as lively, pretty and light as the flying apsaras of the Tang Dynasty, they have this craftsmanship, but they are very decorative. For example, in this cave, there are two flying figures playing guzheng and harp, which are perfectly painted. Both flying figures have buns on their heads, curved eyebrows and big eyes, a straight nose and small lips, a plump face, ringed earlobes, and a half-naked upper body. The chest is decorated with a necklace, the arms are decorated with bracelets, the waist is tied with a long skirt, the bare feet are exposed, and the hands are skillfully playing the strings, with an elegant posture. Its biggest feature is that the flying scarf is three times as long as the body. There are fluttering flowers in the middle of the flying scarf. There are colorful clouds flowing under the flying scarf. The flying sky seems to be soaring against the wind on the colorful flowers. The whole picture is symmetrical and equal. Very decorative.

Cave 327 is a cave in the late Song Dynasty of Mogao Grottoes. The top of the cave is draped on all four sides and has a circle of flying stars on the lower edge. Some are holding flowers and some are playing music to make offerings to the Buddha. The two flying apsaras on the north side of its east slope have a more perfect image and posture. Both of them are wearing buns, beaded crowns, bare upper body, necklaces, and precious bracelets on their arms. They have plump faces and delicate eyebrows. One hand is holding a flower plate, and the other is holding a phoenix-headed harp, with glyphs blooming on the walls of the heavenly palace, flying against the wind, with fluttering skirts and flying ribbons. Flowers are falling on Feitian's body, and colorful clouds are flying under Feitian's body. Although there is no such thing as Feitian in the Tang Dynasty It is powerful, but its flight dynamics are also very vivid. It can be said to be the representative work of Feitian in the Song Dynasty (see the picture on page 95).

Xixia was a minority aristocratic regime established by Dang Xiang in the northwest. The Feitian of the Western Xia Dynasty in Mogao Grottoes partly follows the style of the Song Dynasty, and partly has the unique style of the Western Xia Dynasty. The biggest feature is that the characters and folk customs of the Xixia Dangxiang people are integrated into the image of Feitian. The face is oblong, the cheeks are bulging, the eyes are deep and the nose is sharp. The body is strong. He wears leather clothes and is often decorated with beads. He is very secular. The representative one is the Flying Boy in Cave 97. On the inside of the Buddhist niche on the west wall of this cave, there are paintings of boys scattering flowers and flying in the sky. The images, postures and clothes are the same: bald hair on the top of the head, pigtails on both sides, round face, thin eyebrows, upturned eyes, thick lips and bulging cheeks, bare arms and bare legs, muscular Plump and well built. The arms are decorated with beads and bracelets, the waist is tied with an animal skin girdle, and the feet are bare short leather boots. Holding a lotus in one hand and a flower disk in the other, one leg is bent and the other is raised, flying from top to bottom. The colorful ribbons are flying on the back, but the flying momentum is not strong. These two flying apsaras no longer have the demeanor of the early Wutian, the god of music and song in Buddhism, nor the graceful charm of the apsaras of the Tang Dynasty. If you wipe off the scarf on your arm, you can see the colorful clouds underneath, and it looks like a boy dressed as a party member. Judging from the character image, hairstyle, and clothing, they all show the characteristics and life style of the Xixia party clan (see the pictures on pages 98-99). During the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols ruled the Dunhuang area, and very few caves were built or renovated in the Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Grottoes. Tantra was popular in the Yuan Dynasty and was divided into Tibetan Tantra and Han Tantra. There are no flying deities in Tibetan Tantric art, and there are not many existing flying deities in Han Tantric art. Among them, the representative ones are the four flying apsaras painted on the two corners of the "Avalokitesvara Sutra with Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes" on the south and north walls of Cave 3. The two flying apsaras above the "Avalokitesvara Sutra" on the north wall are more perfect in shape. The two apsaras are symmetrical to each other, with basically similar images, postures, and clothing. They have conical buns on their heads and beaded crowns. They have round faces, long eyebrows and beautiful eyes. They are half-naked, with necklaces on their necks, jewels on their arms, and a lotus in one hand. Hua, holding a lotus branch in one hand and carrying it on the arm, descending from the sky on yellow cirrus clouds, the dress, skirt and scarf are very short, the body is heavy, and the sense of flying is not strong. They no longer have the posture and style of Buddhist flying gods, but look like two Taoist fairy boys flying on clouds (see the picture on page 101). Dunhuang Feitian has gone through more than a thousand years, showing different era characteristics and national styles, many beautiful images, joyful realms, and eternal artistic vitality still attracting people today, just as Mr. Duan Wenjie said in "Flying Apsara in the World" The article says: "They have not perished with the passage of time. They are still alive. In new songs and dances, in murals, and in craft articles (trademarks, advertisements), there are images of flying stars everywhere. It should be said that they have emerged from the kingdom of heaven. After landing in the human world, he will live in people's hearts forever, constantly giving people enlightenment and beautiful enjoyment.

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