Compassionate Buddha of Qingzhou

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In October 1996,a cave was accidentally discovered at a construction site in Qingzhou of Shandong Province. Archeologists found more than 400 exquisiteBuddha statues from the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). This was one of the most exciting archeological findings of 20th century China. Since 2001, these statues have been exhibited in Germany, France and the United States, arousing great interest among viewers.

The statues are either sculpted in the round or with their backs in the stone wall. Their postures, standing or sitting, are so vivid and varied that they add touches of liveliness to the solemn ambience of the caves. One particular statue presents an innocent and lovable image of the Buddha with his left foot on a lotus footing and his right foot on his left knee.Although his left arm is missing, the audience may still visualize with their mind’s eye that his left hand caresses his right foot.Another statue in the sitting posture looks light and lithe, and brims with a graceful bearing, his creaseless clothes setting off the contours of his body. He has fine and delicate features and a slim figure.

One hand has been damaged, and the other hand is raised before his chest; so he must have been holding his palms together in greeting. Generally speaking, Buddha statues always emphasize natural and calm facial expressions, but the sculptors of the Qingzhou statues placed more emphasis on the meticulous depiction of movement, their most evocative aspect. These statues, while portraying the spirit of Buddhist teachings from a distant land, demonstrate more of an unaffected, ardent local flavor.

What is unforgettable about the Qingzhou statues is, more than anything else, their smiles. Smiling Buddha statues are common, but the Qingzhou statues have their own distinctive characteristics. The difference lies in the smiles of the Qingzhou statues not being the usual mysterious smile but rather calm, sweet and reserved. Long, narrow eyes and cherry-like mouths are set off by faintly smiling cheeks. It is a contagious joy rising from their innermost world, spreading from the soul to the body, and on to their postures and even their robes.The discovery of the Qingzhou Grotto transported smiles from a thousand years ago to today’s human world.