Some notes I took on the "Why Dunhuang" exhibition.

The China Art Museum is currently hosting the "Why Dunhuang" exhibition, which will run until December 20. The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, with last entry at 5:00 pm. The exhibition uses a combination of "cultural relics + replica caves + mural sculptures" to give visitors an immersive experience of Dunhuang's culture, history, and art. Each exhibit is accompanied by explanatory text and a number corresponding to the audio guide. It is recommended to learn about Dunhuang culture before visiting the exhibition, as an explanation is very helpful. You can rent an audio guide for a fee, purchase an official guided tour, or listen to the free guided tour every day at noon. The free guided tour lasts for one hour, no reservation is required, and visitors can gather at the service desk. (The guided tour is usually after 12:00 pm) Here are some notes I took on site. To appreciate Dunhuang murals, you need to understand them in three parts: who is the protagonist of the painting, what obstacles the protagonist encounters, and how the protagonist solves them. Image 2: The tiger is about to starve to death, so the protagonist falls off a cliff and lets the tiger eat his body. The physical body is gone after being eaten, but the dharma body still exists. After going to the Buddha's kingdom, the relics are left in the pagoda. Image 3: To pass the test, the protagonist has his servant drive a thousand nails into his body. To prevent the eagle from eating the dove, he has his servant cut his flesh to feed the eagle. PS The flying apsaras in the painting are depicted in a V-shape. Some Dunhuang murals may seem bloody, but they actually reflect the Buddha's fearlessness and self-sacrifice. The Buddha has three lives, and only by doing countless good deeds in his previous life can he become a Buddha in this life. Image 4: The Buddha has reached the highest level of practice: Nirvana. Disciples who understand the reason are calm, while those who have not practiced enough cry bitterly. PS Observing the Buddha's mouth from different angles, the lips upturned show great compassion, while the lips downturned show great sorrow. Image 5: The murals were painted using the ancient Indian technique of chiaroscuro, with the artist using artificial lead white to create highlights. Unfortunately, the lead white oxidized and turned black, while the other mineral pigments did not oxidize or change color, so the darkest areas today were once the brightest. Image 6: In early landscape paintings, people were the main subject, so people were larger than the landscape, which was only used to divide the picture.