Research On The Arhat Statues In HangZhou YanXia Cave

The arhat statues of HangZhou Yanxia cave are a major constituent of the Statues of West Lake Nan Shan Mountain, one of the national key cultural protection units. Presently, there are statues built in Wudai, Song, Qing and 1979. Typically, the arhat statues built in Wudai are regarded as the earliest sixteen arhat statues among the research community. In the 1950s', Shi Yan and Yu Jianhua independently went to Nanshan mountain for investigation. Shi Yan verified the identities and ages of the statues in Yanxia Cave, and concluded that the number of statues was sixteen. The same year, Yu Jianhua, etc, questioned the results of Shiyan with respect to both the identities and number of statues. They conjectured that the number of statues was eighteen rather than sixteen. However, without convincing evidence, they could not confirm it.Currently, there is no further research for a deeper exploration of the arhat statues in Yanxia Cave. This thesis fills this gap. In this thesis, the author collected the related documents of arhat belief, arhat statues, arhat statues of Wudai wuyue and Yanxia Cave, went to Hangzhou for investigation, and identified the values and research potentials of the present arhat statues in Yanxia Cave. By first clarifying the development and evolution process of Chinese arhat belief, this thesis analyzes the background for the emergence of Yanxia Cave Statue from the historical perspective. Then, several major issues are discussed. The first is the content and current status of these Arhat Statues. The second is the exact number of the Statues, the arguments come from the following aspects:the arrangement of arhat statues in Yanxia Cave, the inscription, the cultural origin of the Xianglong and Fuhu Arhats, and the relationship with other nearby 18 arhat statues with similar ages. The third is the art style and art status of the Arhat Statues of Yanxia Cave.