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Dizang Bodhisattva with the Ten Kings of Hell Mural from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), Dizang
- Title Translation: 智化殿壁画"地藏菩萨与十府冥王" , 地藏菩萨
- Period: Ming, unknown
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
Dizang Bodhisattva with the Ten Kings of Hell Mural from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), full mural
- Title Translation: 智化殿壁画"地藏菩萨与十府冥王" , 全壁画
- Period: Ming, unknown
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
Dizang Bodhisattva with the Ten Kings of Hell Mural from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), Dizang
- Title Translation: 智化殿壁画"地藏菩萨与十府冥王" , 地藏菩萨
- Period: Ming, unknown
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), miniature multi-story pavilion (tiangong louge)
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 微型天宫楼阁
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
Dizang Bodhisattva with the Ten Kings of Hell Mural from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), Daoming monk and five of Ten Kings of Hell
- Title Translation: 智化殿壁画"地藏菩萨与十府冥王" , 道明和尚和冥府五王
- Period: Ming, unknown
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), painted ceiling panels
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 彩绘天花板
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), painted ceiling panel
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 彩绘天花板
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), exterior
- Title Translation: 如来殿 , 外部
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the second—enclosed by walls on its east and west.
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), pagoda from tiangong louge
- Title Translation: 万佛阁天花与藻井 , 天宫楼阁宝塔
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
Proposed Chinese Exhibition Hall of Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, front elevation
- Title Translation: 纳尔逊阿特金斯艺术博物馆中国展厅拟建 , 正视图
- Period: Ming, January 6, 1932
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: J. C. Nichols handed over Gustav Ecke's proposed Chinese Exhibition Hall design for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to Kansas City architectural company Wight & Wight with C. T. Loo's room model in mind and the consultation from Harvard University's Fogg Museum.
Capital music from the Zhihua Temple (Zhihuasi Jing yinyue), musicians
- Title Translation: 智化寺京音乐 , 乐手
- Period: Ming, Qing, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Benefiting from Wang Zhen’s unprecedented power at the court, the temple was able to hire skilled monk musicians to play during Buddhist ceremonies and other ritual activities for the members of the court. However, with Wang’s death in 1449, the temple lost its prestigious status, and during Emperor Jingdi’s reign (1450-1456), the monks began to perform ritual music outside the temple to make a living. Thus Capital music of Zhihua Temple also became popular among the people. When Emperor Yingzong retook the throne in 1457, he at once set out to honor Wang Zhen with statues and steles and rituals performed at the temple. The music of Zhihua Temple gradually increased in importance. The comprehensive instrumental ensemble, rigorous training, and elegant performance style of the Zhihua Temple’s music group inspired other temples in Beijing through the succeeding Qing. During the reign of Emperors Daoguang and Xianfeng (1821-1861), Zhihua Temple became such a center for Beijing music that spread to numerous temples in the region including but not limited to: Tianxian Nunnery, Chengshou Temple, Shuiyue Nunnery, Dizang Temple, Xizhao Temple, Guandi Temple, Huoshen Temple, Jiuding Niangniang Temple, and Puning Temple. Jing ceremonial music consists of three parts: vocalization of text, wind instruments, and percussion instruments, called by monk musicians the “three gateways.” The most prominent of these is the musical gateway of the wind instruments that greatly distinguished capital music of Zhihua Temple from other temple music or folk music performance. The Jing music ensemble of the Zhihua Temple is composed of nine performers and thirteen or fourteen musical instruments, including two pipes, two flutes, two sheng, two sets of cloud chimes, one drum, a set of small cymbals, 2 mounted gongs, two larger cymbals (nao and bo) and a bell. Several members of the troupe will play more than one instrument during a performance.
Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), interior
- Title Translation: 万佛阁 , 室内
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The upper level of Rulai Hall is the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), which is a smaller 3-bay-by-3-bay structure. The Pavilion features the “Three Bodies of the Buddha” (sanshen fo), with Buddha Vairocana at the center accompanied by Śākyamuni to its left and Rocana Buddha (Luzhena fao) to its right. While the lower-level ceiling is flat, consisting of square panels (tianhua), the ceiling on the second level features a magnificent coffered ceiling (zaojing), now installed in the Chinese gallery of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Rulai Hall and Wanfo Pavilion together form the religious center of the temple.
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 3D重建静态图像
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 3D重建静态图像
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
Dizang Bodhisattva with the Ten Kings of Hell Mural from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), full mural
- Title Translation: 智化殿壁画"地藏菩萨与十府冥王" , 全壁画
- Period: Ming, unknown
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), Manjusuri
- Title Translation: 大智殿 , 文殊
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), exterior
- Title Translation: 大智殿 , 外景
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), research team conducting scanning
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 研究小组进行扫描
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis—the Hall of Great Wisdom. To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost. A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), three seated bodhisattvas
- Title Translation: 大智殿 , 三坐菩萨
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), altar
- Title Translation: 大智殿 , 祭坛
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), virtual walkthrough without background music
- Title Translation: 万佛阁 , 3D建筑漫游
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The upper level of Rulai Hall is the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), which is a smaller 3-bay-by-3-bay structure. The Pavilion features the “Three Bodies of the Buddha” (sanshen fo), with Buddha Vairocana at the center accompanied by Śākyamuni to its left and Rocana Buddha (Luzhena fao) to its right. While the lower-level ceiling is flat, consisting of square panels (tianhua), the ceiling on the second level features a magnificent coffered ceiling (zaojing), now installed in the Chinese gallery of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Rulai Hall and Wanfo Pavilion together form the religious center of the temple.
Revolving Sutra Cabinet (Zhuanlun Jingzang, or Scripture Cabinet) in Sutra Hall (Zangdian, or Scripture Hall), white marble base
- Title Translation: 藏殿转轮经藏 , 白色大理石底座
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: “Revolving Sutra Cabinet” (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
Revolving Sutra Cabinet (Zhuanlun Jingzang, or Scripture Cabinet) in Sutra Hall (Zangdian, or Scripture Hall)
- Title Translation: 藏殿转轮经藏
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: “Revolving Sutra Cabinet” (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Brahma Buddha
- Title Translation: 如来殿三圣 , 大梵天
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddha’s right or west side is Indra 帝释天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddha’s left, is the Hindu god Brahma 大梵天. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddha’s life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuni’s life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Mara’s demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddha’s enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
Buddha Triad from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom)
- Title Translation: 智化殿三世佛
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The main altar of the Zhihua Hall is no longer in its original form, and the three large seated Buddhas that originally occupied the space were removed and are now believed to be in the Dajue Temple. The Zhihua Hall now houses three Buddha images that once occupied the Dabei Hall at the back of the temple. These sculptures are smaller in size than the former ones, but are likely quite similar in appearance. The three Buddhas are depicted sitting with legs crossed in front on lotus thrones. The elaborate throne bases are believed to be of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). They each wear a robe draped over the left shoulder that falls diagonally across the front of the torso and under the right arm leaving the chest, right shoulder, and arm exposed. They have curling hair and a jewel-like protuberance on the ushnisha on the top of the head. They are distinguished by the position of their hands. The central Buddha has his right hand reaching forward with fingers pointed downward in the gesture of touching the earth (bhumishparsha mudra). The Buddha to his left has the right hand raised in the gesture of granting absence of fear (abhaya mudra) The Buddha at his right side has both hands has both hands held in front of the chest in gesture of teaching, known as turning the wheel of the law (dharmachakra mudra). The three are identified as The Buddhas of the Three Ages—Shakyamuni (the central historical Buddha), Dipankara (Buddha of the Past), and Maitreya (Buddha of the Future). From the time of Shakyamuni’s life and his teachings to his disciples, the belief in the Buddha as the Enlightened One grew into a religion that spread across Asia and expanded doctrinally to include a universe of many Buddhas of countless ages in time and realms of the universe. The Zhihua Temple sculptures illustrate various aspects of these religious concepts.