A Study On Grotto Courtyard Pattern In North Central Plains And The Dunhuang During The Northern Dynasty And The Sui Dynasty

The Northern Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty, in the swirl of the great national integration and the agitate wave sound of Chinese soil culture and overseas culture, that is brilliant to pregnant with and cast the first time in chinese grotto art. Grotto art is not merely including those familiar sculptures, mural paintings, but also including beautiful courtyard pattern which is nearly forgotten by people. Grottoes in the Northern Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty that have abundant contents of courtyard pattern and the colorful style, have offered the rare material ,which make us know the concept of that era and aesthetic standards.But for a long time, grotto art researchers seem not to offer courtyard pattern such essential care, so people still could not make clear that the mainstream thoughts of development correlated with the courtyard pattern. To obtain the objective regular acknowledgement about courtyard pattern of grotto in the Northern Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty, this draft is based on survey materials on the spot, combining the materials that the educational circles have already revealed, employing the archaeological typology method, combing the materials collected more systematically.In the Northern Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty, the courtyard pattern of grotto can divide two systems into the Dunhuang and the North Central Plains. The Mogao Grottoes courtyard pattern of Dunhuang regards stagger and superpose forms of four corners as the main characteristic. Ordinary forms of four corners pattern are made up of heart of lotus, wipe horn and sideband, the lotus cover type forms of four corners increased the curtain part of hanging down. The Mogao Grottoes forms of four corners courtyard pattern developed by stereoscopic four corners building forms of the Western Regions grotto courtyard, stylized and patterned already, and during of evolution, appeared hanging down curtains again, and formed the Chinese soil lotus cover type. The ornamental lotus flower, the Western Regions type Flying Apsaras, and many kinds of plant and geometirc shape pattern of four corners pattern, can often find the source in Turfan and grotto of Kuqa, the Central Plains type Flying Apsaras, Radix Ophiopogonis pattern have reflected the connection with the Central Plains. The situation is relative to the geographical position, which Dunhuang live in the Western Regions culture and the Central Plains culture crossed. The North Central Plains grotto courtyard pattern keep relatively intact in the filed which mainly centralize in Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Liaoning, regarding the surround lotus flower of Flying Apsaras as the main characteristic. It can be divided into two groups on the whole, one group is the arrangement of check type, double petal lotus flower, the Western Regions type Flying Apsaras, prevailing in the middle and later period of Northern Wei Dynasty, the other group is the arrangement of the heart type, single lotus flower, the Central Plains type Flying Apsaras, prevailing from in the later period of Northern Wei Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty. Two groups of courtyard patterns mixing exist in the later period of Northern Wei Dynasty. Four corners pattern existed in the middle period of Northern Wei Dynasty at Yungang grottoes courtyard also reflect the connection with the Hexi Corridor.As the central factor of courtyard pattern, Lotus flowers become a symbol of the pure and clean world where people expect to come and go. The flying waving in the wind, turn the illusive Buddhism country into the vigorous world. Chinese culture absorb endless conditions and customs of the Western Regions, which is the glamour of grottoes courtyard pattern in the Northern Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty.