Original author: Shinohara
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1 Why "the gods of the world"
Cyan and vermilion are also not tired of looking at each other, and these two slightly "contrasting" colors are combined to achieve the main color of this exhibition. The special exhibition "Gods of the World - Images from the Temples and Tombs of Shanxi in the Middle Ages" moves the northern life and beliefs of the Middle Ages to the side of the Jiangnan people, and in the New Year's Eve exhibition of the Wu Culture Museum, a little exploration can find many topics closely related to life. For the audience in the Jiangnan region, such an exhibition spanning the north and south opens up a broader cultural horizon, which is indeed a kind of enjoyment.
Portal to the World's Gods" exhibition
The exhibits of the "Gods of the World" exhibition are more about the involvement between people on the ground and underground, temples and tombs, and the quest between people and gods, this complex, strong and uniquely influential relationship is different in each era.
"The body is dead and the gods are spirits, and the souls of the sons are ghosts" is the people's sincere belief in war in the pre-Qin period, and they still protect the army after their death, wearing armor and leading the battle, and the grandeur is fierce. Just as the word "deity" is used against "ghost male", if people's belief in gods at this time is still stuck in the heroic class, then the introduction of Buddhism by the White Horse and the Western Han Dynasty has opened up a more diversified situation for the mainland's beliefs.
This exhibition can see the integration of the beliefs of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism on the subi wall, and can also see the bits and pieces of the ancient people's life in the murals of major temples; water and land paintings and tomb murals seem to be separated from the ground and the ground, but they have similar concepts and wishes. What is virtual is faith thinking, what is real is material remains, and between virtual and real, the gods are fully revealed.
Therefore, such an exhibition is worth running.
2 What do the "gods of the world" see
The exhibition is divided into three parts, through three different forms of artistic image system, through the rich cultural relics and video materials - these "liturgical markers", taking us into the narrative space of hundreds of years ago, with a panoramic and close-cut perspective to observe the solemn, secular, and aesthetics of life.
"Multiple Prayer Tombs" is the title of the first part of the exhibition. After the five dynasties of the late Tang Dynasty, brick carved mural tombs gradually became a popular form of burial in northern China. Following the concept of "death is like life", the tomb owner used bricks and stones to build an underground courtyard that was no less than the one he enjoyed before he was alive, and with sculptures of various life scenes, he integrated the human spirit into a room, and carved the prayer knife behind him with an axe, which is one of the multiple prayers - a prayer for the continuation of life on the ground.
Hao Smith Gold Tomb
In the exhibition, the Wu Culture Museum moved a whole golden tomb to the exhibition hall. The Golden Tomb of Hao Smith in Jincheng, Shanxi Is a very typical tomb in northern China in the Middle Ages, and the Twenty-four Filial Piety Brick Carvings in the Later Chambers are the most famous, whether it is the figures, animals, plants or terraces in the picture, they are all outstanding in the shape of gods. During the Jin Dading period, the tomb owner and his wife were buried here, and through the brick carvings such as women opening doors and attendants in the tomb passage, we seemed to be able to feel the glorious life of the family at that time, and the aesthetics and research of ancient architecture were also included in these ten square meters. In the exhibition hall, the audience can enter this tomb from nearly a thousand years ago, feel the brick and stone wooden beams of the Middle Ages, and feel the heartfelt prayers of a Jin Dynasty couple.
The woman opens the door to the brick carving
"Social Fire" lion dance brick carving
Brick carving seems to have the magic of connecting time and space, it often reflects the life of an era, just like the "social fire" performance brick carving in the exhibition, two simple shapes, but through two unusual weapons - barbarian cards and knives enriched, can't help but think of whether the stage in the "Social Drama" text is also a similar scene.
"The View of the Worldly Gods on the Wall" is the second part of the exhibition, and it is also the part that most echoes the theme. The mural grand view is the temple, and the huge volume of the Shanxi Temple Temple has laid the foundation for the brilliant murals here. In this part of the museum, with the help of digital technology, the overall information collection of each representative temple mural is carried out, and the facsimile of the mural is displayed. The genealogical system of gods and immortals, the artistic route of temple murals that both "reward the gods" and "entertain people", and the stories behind cultural relics are all areas of interest to the public but are not easy to touch, where the charm of brilliant Chinese culture can be enjoyed.
"Descending Demon Map"
As far as foguang temple is concerned, the "Descending Demon Map" embodies not only the legendary story in religion, if the elements of the heavenly king, the demon monkey and the green dragon in the painting are too mythical, then the research value of this ancient mural hidden in the East Hall may lie in the costumes of the characters, the bright light armor of the heavenly king, the magic weapon of the lux, and the clothes of the maid all reveal the Tang style of "scorched ink and light color".
The prince of good deeds is born through the transformation of the map
This situation of religious indigenization is also manifested in the Song Dynasty Kaihua Temple's "Prince Bunsheng Tu", this mural promotes the Buddhist idea of karma, telling the story of the prince of a good friend entering the sea to seek ruyi beads, from the prince's kingdom to the adventure of the island, to the mysterious dragon palace, all the characters appear in the image of the Northern Song Dynasty, wearing wings and heads, wearing regular clothes, although this story may take place far away in the Kingdom of Polonai, but it does not stop people's imagination and belief in faith.
"Selling Fish"
《Playing Ball and Playing Chess Diagram》
The Yuan Dynasty Guangsheng Temple Water Temple's "Fish Selling Diagram" and "Playing Ball and Chess Diagram" do not have so many paper religious scenes in it, but the inner religious appeal is self-evident, in the water temple", "chess (prayer) ball (begging) fish (rain)" is still a very serious ritual, but a cursory look may ignore the ancients' "careful machine".
Yongle Palace Partridge Kiss
The big vision of Yongle Palace created through three-dimensional projection is the final link of this part. People are always anxious and in awe of the unknown, and it may be quite wise to use the "fear of giants" to create a mysterious and solemn religious atmosphere, such as this huge pure Yang Temple Kiss. The bizarre combination of the giant dragon head and the fish tail was from the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty and was replaced in the 1960s when the Yongle Palace was relocated as a whole. The dragon's kiss that was once on the roof ridge is now in the exhibition hall to interpret the world's worship of the gods in an exaggerated way, which is the embodiment of faith in the complex.
"Three Religions in One Land and Water" is the closing part of the exhibition. The word "water and land" comes from the water and land festival, which is an important Buddhist event held by all the ghosts and gods of puji water and land, and is a folk cultural phenomenon that arose and developed under the background of the "unity of three religions", and the water and land paintings displayed here are all originals left over from the Ming Dynasty. The Buddhist theme of Baoning Temple is typical of water and land paintings, including many statues of Shakyamuni and Arhats who are pudu sentient beings, and the theme depicting the crucifixion of the dead may be closer to the root of the "water and land festival" - Pudu all water and land gods and ghosts. What is reflected in it is not only the recollection of the past of the deceased, but also the expression of the Buddhist belief in the cycle of birth and death.
Three religions in one land and water
Many of the Ming Dynasty water and land paintings in Houji Temple are different from tradition, the theme of faith has changed from Buddhism to Taoism, and the gods in the paintings are not angry and arrogant. Out of the ancient people's worship of natural forces, the Thunder Protector Gods, as the enforcer of the "Heavenly Dao Weiyi", held the power of thunder. The ten members of the Lei generals performed their duties, and their appearance also highlighted a brave and powerful one; the "Chaoyuan Immortal Battle Map" depicted a scene of a group of immortals worshiping Yuan Shi Tianzun in the form of a batch of stations. For the legendary Nine Heavenly Immortals who have great powers and eliminate evil and promote good, we have heard about it in fiction and television since we were young, and now we see the painting axis of 600 years ago, which is also a special feeling.
3 In addition to the "gods of the world", there is nothing to look forward to
Through the exhibition, we can absorb far more than just a few stories and a few photos. According to previous special exhibitions, the Wu Culture Museum has always been equipped with systematic missionary activities for special exhibitions. Since its opening in 2020, more than ten special exhibitions held by the Wu Culture Museum have reflected its curatorial ability and level.
In the organization and planning of events, Wu Culture Museum has its own unique insights. Beginning with the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms Cultural Exhibition", salons, lectures, courses, and museum nights have become part of each special exhibition. These activities themselves are interpretations of the exhibition, and the enthusiasm of the audience to participate is so high that they often make the activity quota "second light". Judging from the existing information, this exhibition also curated the "Gods Vision" salon activity, and discussing the "gods of the world" in the night salon is a way to explore with a sense of experience. In addition to the salon, I believe that the corresponding lectures and courses should also come as scheduled.
On the other hand, the interpretation club of the Wu Culture Museum communicates "people" and "things" through cross-border integrated art forms, helping the audience to understand the history and culture more deeply and simply. This model of self-built and self-established interpretation societies also set a precedent for the interpretation of museum exhibitions nationwide. The grand exhibition of "Gods of the World" would be expected if you could see the figure of the Interpretation Society.
After watching the whole exhibition, the gods are vividly remembered. The exhibition looks at mural images, recognizes the connection between faith and society in the Middle Ages, and is a spiritual home that looks back at the past. The distance between Shanxi and Suzhou is also shortened in the trail of an exhibition, looking forward to the warming of the blossoming day and the spring of the world together again.
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