Thunder Drum in Dunhuang Murals
The Thunder Drum in the Dunhuang murals is a special kind of drum, which appears in many cave murals of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. There were 54 kinds of musical instruments in Dunhuang murals, of which 17 were drums. The Thunder Drum was one of them. Judging from the image of the Thunderlord Drum, it had changed in different periods. In the early period of the Mogao Grottoes, such as the earliest "Thunder God Playing Drum Painting" found in Cave 249 and Cave 285, the Thunder God "had eyes like mirrors, horns three feet long, and looked like six beasts". After the Western Wei Dynasty, the statue of the Thunder God in the Mogao Grottoes was replicated relatively regularly. For example, the Thunder God on the north wall of the main hall of the 14th cave of the Mogao Grottoes had his upper body exposed and his lower body hidden in the clouds. There was a horn on his head and drums were beaten on both sides. Apart from this cave, the 45th, 98th and 323rd caves of the Mogao Grottoes all had the image of the Thunder God with a horn on his head. In the early Tang Dynasty, the statue of the Thunder God in the Mogao Grottoes looked like a macaque with wings on its back and looked like a Hercules, similar to the Thunder God in Cave 329 of the Mogao Grottoes. In the Tang Dynasty, the portrait of the Thunder God was also depicted as a pig. Now, with the help of modern technology, the Thunderlord Drum had been "revived." Through the in-depth cultural knowledge interaction project of the digital Dunhuang resource library, visitors could play the Leigong drum in the murals in the virtual world. Moreover, after studying and scrutinizing historical documents, the Thunder God Drum had been "restored" and made purely by hand, allowing people to view ancient musical instruments up close and listen to the sounds of thousands of years ago. In addition, the fourth skin of the Dunhuang series (given to Lu Bu) was also inspired by the pictures of the Thunder Drum in Cave 249 and Cave 285 of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. "Legend of the Flying Apsaras" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Traveling to Dunhuang murals
Dunhuang murals generally referred to the murals that existed in Dunhuang grottoes (including 552 grottoes in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, West Thousand Buddha Cave and Anxi Yulin Grottoes). There were more than 50,000 square meters of murals in the past dynasties. It was the grotto group with the most murals in China and even in the world. It was the main component of Chinese Dunhuang art, also known as Thousand Buddha Cave. It was one of the four ancient grottoes in China and was listed as a world cultural heritage. It was mainly divided into Buddha paintings, scripture paintings, mythological paintings, decorative paintings, story paintings, landscape paintings, and so on. In addition to decorative patterns, the mural paintings with plots (especially the changing paintings and story paintings) reflected a lot of real social life, such as the travel and banquet of the ruling class, the farming and hunting of the working people, and various social activities such as marriage and business trips. From the perspective of painting style, the styles of different cave eras were also different. In the early days, the degree of distortion was large, and romantic elements were used more. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the degree of distortion was small, and the three-dimensional feeling was strong and realistic. You can start your tour by admiring the special stamps of "Dunhuang Murals (Group 1)". There are four stamps in a set, depicting the image of Bodhisattva Tingfa, the story of the Deer King, the scene of the Heavenly Palace, and the image of the Flying Sky Dance. You can also start with the story of Zhang Daqian copying the paintings of Dunhuang grottoes from 1941 to 1943 to experience the artistic charm of Dunhuang murals. However, it should be known that the Dunhuang Grottoes have been affected by wind erosion and sand and dust for many years. At present, among the 492 caves with murals and colored sculptures, more than half of the murals and colored sculptures have suffered from diseases such as armor, hollowing, color change, crispness and falling off. The novel "Gilded Palm" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Top Ten Beautiful Murals in Dunhuang
The following are some of the more famous murals in Dunhuang: 1. Wutai Mountain Painting: Located in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, it is one of the largest Buddhist historical paintings. It portrays the scenery of the Buddhist Kingdom of Wutai Mountain during the Five Dynasties 1500 years ago, including the mountains and rivers, buildings, bridges, portraits of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, monks and laymen, etc. of Wutai Mountain and its surrounding areas. It has extremely high artistic and historical value and is an important material for studying the history and Buddhist culture of Wutai Mountain. 2. "Hunting Painting": A mural from the Western Wei Dynasty in Cave 249 of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang vividly depicted the hunting scene in the nomadic life of the ancient northwest region. In the picture, there are two hunters chasing after each other on horseback, one shooting a tiger and the other chasing a yellow sheep. The fierceness of the tiger, the panic of the sheep and the bravery and agility of the hunter are all vividly displayed. It is a representative work in Dunhuang murals and is of great significance to the study of the social style and artistic style of that time. 3. " The Deer King Jataka Painting ": A mural from the Northern Wei Dynasty in Cave 257 of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. It depicted the legendary story of the Deer King, including the rescue, the drowning ceremony, the king and queen, the drowning snitch, the resting nine-colored deer, the drowning man pointing at the deer, and the description of the nine-colored deer. As only some of the famous murals were retrieved, the ten most beautiful murals could not be provided. However, these murals were quite representative, artistic value, and historical significance in Dunhuang murals. "Legend of the Flying Apsaras" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
A poem describing the flying of Dunhuang murals
The following are some poems describing the flying of the Dunhuang murals: 1. "The frescoes of Dunhuang dance in the sky, and the ribbons flutter around the painting. Where can I find a graceful figure? Immortals and mortals have admired it for thousands of years." 2. "The stone cave hides the marks of time, and the flying murals shine with stars. The light gauze dances in the wind, and I suspect that Chang'e has descended from the moon." 3. "The treasure looks solemn and reflects the Buddha's light, flying and dancing around the beam. Colorful clothes fluttering in the wind, where is the paradise not to yearn for?" 4. "The murals are still dreaming of flying, and the thousand-year-old charm is lingering in my heart. It's rare to see you in the world. I'm willing to be a fairy and travel with you." 5. "The yellow sand covered the ancient city, and the murals flew to the sky to express their old feelings. Time is long and people are easy to grow old, and the immortal appearance is forever in the painting." 6. "Hidden in the Mogao Grottoes, flying murals reflect the eyes. All kinds of postures are beautiful, and I suspect that the fairy has fallen into the world." 7. "The grotto is towering and imposing, and the flying murals show new looks. The thousand-year-old charm is still there, making the tourists drunk." 8. "Ribbon-fluttering and dancing in the sky, the cave murals displaying divine pictures. Immortals and mortals are intoxicated by the beauty. May this beautiful scenery last forever." 9. "The ancient charm of Dunhuang has been passed down for thousands of years, and the flying murals shine in the Divine Land. Where are the beautiful scenery in the world? Let's see a painting building in Dunhuang." 10. "The deep grottoes contain ancient charm, and the flying murals show their charm. Immortals and mortals share the joy. May this beautiful scenery be passed down forever." 11. " Seven Absolutes, Flying Snow of Dunhuang: Hidden in the vast sea are the Mogao Grottoes, and the Dang River nourishes the crescent moon spring. Flying in the sky, the auspicious snow increases its magnificence, and scattered with the jade flower, half of the soul is round." "Legend of the Flying Apsaras" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
The Top Ten Most Famous Paintings of Dunhuang Murals
The ten most famous paintings in Dunhuang murals are: Wutai Mountain Painting, Guiding Bodhisattva Painting, Hunting Painting, Four Flying Heavens Painting, Hexi Jiedushi Zhang Yichao Leading the Army Travel Painting, Song Dynasty Hanoi County Lady Song Travel Painting, Lao Du Cha Fighting Saint Transformation Painting, Thousand-handed Thousand-eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva Painting, Heavenly Palace Jiyue Western Wei Dynasty Painting, Five Hundred Robbers Becoming Buddha Story. Among them, the Painting of Wutai Mountain was the largest Buddhist historical painting in Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. It depicted the scene of the holy land of Wutai Mountain during the Five Dynasties and was regarded as a precious cultural heritage. The Hunting Painting is a mural from the Western Wei Dynasty in Cave 249 of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. It shows the bravery and agility of hunters and the ferocity and panic of animals. "Lao Du Cha Fighting Saint Transfiguration" is one of the very typical subjects in Dunhuang murals. The well-preserved ones include the 10th shop of Mogao Grottoes of the Five Dynasties, the 3rd shop of Yulin Grottoes and the 454 cave of Mogao Grottoes of the Song Dynasty. The other murals also had their own characteristics, showing the magnificent landscape and Buddhist culture of Dunhuang.
Who can recommend a novel about the protagonist who went to Dunhuang as a student to admire the murals and comprehend the martial arts of flying in the murals?
I recommend "Dreaming of a Thousand Years of Dunhuang Love." The protagonist of this novel, Lu Qiming, was a student of ancient painting restoration. When he participated in the restoration of murals in Dunhuang, he transmigrated to the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago by looking into the eyes of a portrait. There, he realized the martial arts of flying like the murals, and wrote a love story with the person of his dreams. I hope you like this fairy's recommendation. Muah ~😗
In the novel, did the male protagonist go to the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang to watch the flying murals?
I recommend "Dreaming of a Thousand Years of Dunhuang Love" to you. The male lead of this Eastern fantasy novel, Lu Qiming, was a professional in the restoration of ancient paintings. When he dreamed, the same person would appear repeatedly, but as long as the two of them looked at each other, they would wake up. Later, he came to Dunhuang and participated in the work of repairing murals. After meeting the eyes of a portrait in the Flying Sky Cave, he traveled to the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago and found the person of his dreams. I hope you like my recommendation.😗
Murals in the background
The background wall mural was a common element in interior decoration. It could be used to decorate the wall, adjust the atmosphere, and enhance the taste. Choosing a suitable background wall mural required consideration of the grand theme to create an atmosphere that matched the taste and style of the host. You can choose some background wall murals with landscape paintings or modern elements to decorate the living room or hall. These paintings could bring about a scene of spring and enhance the luck of the hall. They could also create a different style and atmosphere by contrasting the colors of the paintings with the walls. In addition, it was also important to choose the right place to hang the painting. You could use traceless nails or other suitable hanging tools to fix the painting to avoid damage to the wall. In short, choosing a suitable background wall mural could add an artistic and personal style to the home.
Yongle Palace murals
The murals in Yongle Palace were one of the treasures of ancient China painting art. It was located in Yongle Palace in Yongji County, Shanxi Province. It was one of the representative works of Taoist murals in the Yuan Dynasty. The five existing buildings of Yongle Palace were all painted with exquisite murals, with a total area of 960 square meters. It was the most magnificent Taoist murals of the Yuan Dynasty preserved in China. Among them, the Chaoyuan Painting in the Hall of Three Pristines was one of the most important murals. It depicted the grand scene of worshipping the ancestor of Taoism, the Primitive Heavenly Lord. There were a total of 286 characters in the Chaoyuan Painting, and each character's expression was unique and lifelike. The entire mural was grand and magnificent. The characters were full of vivid expressions, gorgeous clothes, and smooth and exquisite lines. Although there were many people, they were dense and varied. The murals in Yongle Palace were of high artistic value and were hailed as miracles in the history of China painting.
Northern Qi murals
The murals of the Northern Qi Dynasty referred to the murals of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 577 AD). The Northern Qi murals were protected and displayed in a special museum in Taiyuan City. It was called the Taiyuan Northern Qi Murals Museum. The museum was located in Wangjiafeng Village, Yingze District, covering an area of 20000 square meters and a building area of 5355 square meters. The museum concentrated on displaying the murals of Northern Qi tombs unearthed in Taiyuan and surrounding areas, including the murals of Lou Rui's tomb and Xu Xianxiu's tomb in Taiyuan, as well as the murals of Jiuyuangang in Xinzhou and Shuiquan Liang in Shuozhou. These murals reflected the early pattern of the Chinese nation's unity and showed the integration process of farming culture and nomadic culture. Taiyuan Northern Qi Murals Museum was the first special museum built on the original site of the murals tomb. It was considered a miracle of the world's tomb murals. The museum also used 3D, AR, VR and other technologies to provide a more intuitive and immersive exhibition experience for the audience.
The theme of the museum murals
The theme of the museum's murals was " The Painting on the Wall: The Origin of Ancient China Murals ". The exhibition was mainly based on the existing ancient murals in Shanxi, divided into seven periods, showing the origin and vein of ancient China murals. The exhibition used a variety of forms, including high-quality replicas, replicas, and physical demos, to focus on the relationship between the art and life of ancient China murals. In addition, the museum also had an exhibition of real murals and collections of murals.