Flying in Mogao Grottoes

Tian Fei, an ancient and modern term. It includes ancient flight and modern flight. The ancient flying sky is the business card of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, a symbol of Dunhuang art and an immortal work of art, as long as you see the beautiful flying sky. People will think of the art of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Almost all of the 492 caves in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are painted with flying sky. More than 4,500 people in all. Its number can be said to be the best preserved grottoes among Buddhist grottoes and temples in the world and China. Modern Feitian refers to the Shenzhou series launch vehicle launched by Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Modern flight is the pride and pride of modern people, because it symbolizes the greatness and prosperity of our motherland and is the embodiment of a country's comprehensive national strength. Born and raised in Tian Fei, it is the pride and pride of the people. Flying, let the world know about flying, let Jiuquan, the hometown of flying, go to the world.

[Edit this paragraph] Name source

The name of Tian Fei in Dunhuang comes from Buddhism, which refers to deified figures who have turned into pure land and whose heaven is heaven, such as Brahma, Virtuous Heaven, Virtuous Heaven and Thirty-three Days. There is a cloud in Tibet in the Tang Dynasty: "It is also heaven for foreign countries to call on God." In Buddhism, the gods fly in the air, which is called flying. Tian Fei often appears in the murals of Buddhist grottoes. In Taoism, mythical figures who have ascended to heaven are called "immortals", such as "leading immortals", "celestial immortals" and "barefoot immortals", and immortals who can fly in the air are called flying immortals. In the Song Dynasty, the Taiping Magnolia Volume 622 quoted a cloud in Fairy Products: "Flying in the clouds, lightly deifying, thinking that immortals are also flying in the clouds."

Meaning:

1. Fly to the sky. Don Li Yong's "Japanese Fu": "When I first went to sea, I was prosperous for a while and suddenly flew into the sky." Tang Wei Zhizhong's "Baiyun Unintentional Fu": "I think it was left by the Han Dynasty and filled the air."

2. The abbreviation of "Flying Dragon in the Sky". It is a metaphor that the king wins the world and has the image of Longxing. The language "Ganyi": "The Ninth Five-Year Plan, the flying dragon is in the sky." The book of Confucius and Ying Da: "If a saint has a dragon virtue, he will soar and live in heaven." Tang Huang Tao's "Long Xing Fu on Monday": "Fly away and break the new country of Yin."

3. Gods flying in the air in Buddhist murals or stone carvings. Sanskrit calls God a "god". Because "Tipo" has the meaning of heaven, it translates as flying. Xu Chi's Goldbach Conjecture under Qilian Mountain: "There are lotus flowers at the top of the cave. Fly at the four corners. "

[Edit this paragraph] Flying in Buddhism

Tian Fei is the incarnation of Ganlu Po and Kinnara in Buddhism. Dry donkey woman, literally translated as Tian Ge God, Kinnara, literally translated as Tianle God. Originally an entertainment god and a dance god in ancient Indian mythology, they were a couple, and later they were absorbed by Buddhism as one of the gods of Tianlong Babu. The task of the nectar girl is to send out fragrance in the Buddhist country, present flowers and treasures to the Buddha, live among the flowers and fly in the heavenly palace. Kinnara's task is to play music, dance and dance in the Buddhist country, but he can't fly in the clouds. Later, Manna and Kinnara mixed, regardless of gender and function, and became one flying thing. Now, those who played music in the early days are called "Yue Ji in Tiangong", and those who later sang and danced with musical instruments are called "Yue Ji in Tian Fei".

The style of flying in Dunhuang is characterized by no wings, no feathers, relying on clouds instead of clouds, but flying in the air by fluttering dresses and fluttering ribbons. In a variety of ways, this is based on the national tradition, absorbing and integrating the achievements of foreign flying art, developing and creating the flying image of Dunhuang.

In the early days of Dunhuang, flying sky was mostly painted on the top of the cave, decorated with algae wells on the top of the cave, the upper edge of the niche and the heads of the main characters in the Bunsen story painting. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the scope of Tian Fei's paintings has been extended to illustrations and Buddhist niches. Although the image of flying still retains the characteristics of flying in the western regions, it has changed and gradually turned into flying in Dunhuang. For example, on the back of the north wall of Cave 226 in the Northern Wei Dynasty, there is a scattered flower flying above the west side of the picture. The face is transformed from goose egg to long and full, with small nose and mouth, symmetrical facial features, slender figure, fluttering skirt, flying across the sky, heroic and spirited, like flying cranes, fragrant flowers, beautiful posture and strong sense of movement. Tian Fei in Sui Dynasty was in a period of integration, exploration and innovation. Mainly manifested in different shapes, slender figure, moderate proportion, soft waist and graceful appearance. Some faces are comely, while others are plump. Clothing is different, some are semi-naked, some are long-sleeved and some are short-sleeved. There are different flight modes, including solo flight, group flight, up flight, down flight, against the wind and downwind flight. By the Tang Dynasty, Tian Fei in Dunhuang had completed the process of absorbing and integrating Chinese and foreign countries, completely formed its own unique style, and reached the peak of art. The four murals in the Tang Dynasty caves were all large-scale paintings. Flying is not only painted on seaweed, shrines and four curtains, but most of them are painted on classics. Buddha said in Elysium that the sky flies around, and some land slowly on colorful clouds; Some hold their heads high, swing their arms and soar upwards; Some hold flowers and go straight into the sky; Some hold flower trays and float across the sky. Skirts swaying with the wind and fluttering ribbons make the flying sky look so light, ingenious, chic and moving. After the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, Tian Fei's modeling efforts were not innovative, but gradually formulated. Although Tian Fei's style and characteristics are different, each generation is not as good as the next, and gradually loses its original artistic life.

From the 4th century (Sixteen Kingdoms) to the 4th century14th century (Yuan Dynasty), many flying images preserved in the grottoes in Dunhuang area are treasures of national art and a wonderful flower of Buddhist art. ..

[Edit this paragraph] The symbol and development of flying.

Flying immortals are often painted in tomb murals, symbolizing that the soul of the tomb owner can ascend to heaven. After Buddhism was introduced into China, it exchanged and merged with Taoism in China. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, shortly after the spread of Buddhism, flying in murals was also called flying fairy, which was the difference between flying fairy and flying fairy. With the in-depth development of Buddhism in China, the flying gods of Buddhism and Taoism are integrated in artistic image, but in name, they just regard flying in the air as flying. Flying in Dunhuang is a flying god painted in Dunhuang grottoes, and later became a special term for Dunhuang mural art.

[Edit this paragraph] The artistic image of Tian Fei in Dunhuang

As far as artistic image is concerned, Tian Fei in Dunhuang is not a cultural and artistic image, but a synthesis of various cultures. Although Tian Fei's hometown is in India, Tian Fei in Dunhuang was bred by Indian culture, western culture and Central Plains culture. It is a flying sky with China cultural characteristics. It is a long-term exchange between Indian Buddhist heaven and human beings and China Taoist feather people, flying in the western regions and flying in the Central Plains. It was a featherless, round, dull, colorful and cloudless sky, soaring mainly by fluttering dresses and fluttering ribbons. Flying in Dunhuang can be said to be the most talented creation of China artists and a miracle in the world art history.

[Edit this paragraph] The characteristics of Dunhuang Tian Fei

Flying in Dunhuang murals and the creation of Huaigrottoes appeared at the same time, starting from the Sixteen Kingdoms, going through the Ten Dynasties, lasting more than 1000 years, and disappearing with the construction of Dunhuang grottoes until the end of the Yuan Dynasty. In this long history of more than 1000 years, Tian Fei's artistic image, posture, artistic conception, style and taste are constantly changing due to the historical situation such as the replacement of dynasties, the transfer of political power, the development and prosperity of economy and the frequent exchanges between Chinese and Western cultures. Different times and artists have left us Tian Fei with different styles and characteristics. Over the past 1000 years, Dunhuang Tian Fei has formed a unique history of evolution and development. Its evolution history is roughly consistent with the whole history of Dunhuang art development, which is divided into four stages.