A Preliminary Study On The Stone Carvings Of Kongwangshan In Lianyungang—From The Perspective Of Buddhism Spread In The Eastern Han Dynasty

In the contemporary times when Buddhist Studies enter into all-round development,the relationship between Buddhism and the social culture has also become a significant object of study.When Buddhism was first spread in China,its thoughts must be compatible with the original Confucian and Taoist cultures;regarding the religious activities,it must be consistent with the original Chinese etiquette norms;in political terms,it must be recognized by the imperial power;in economic terms,it must be supplemented by necessary material resources.Meanwhile,Buddhism also brought rich spiritual resources to the Chinese people,providing a new power and influence in the Chinese society.This is the emphasis of the paper to explore the compatibility issues between Buddhism and the Chinese society starting with the stone carvings with Buddhist elements,and to interpret the characteristics and way of Buddhism diffusion in Eastern Han Dynasty from the perspective of iconography.Lianyungang City is located at the intersection of Qilu culture and Wuyue culture.It is also affected by marine cultures and exotic cultures,and has become the cradle of early civilization in the Chinese eastern coastal regions.The stable social environment and rich cultural deposits have bred the original Taoism and attracted a large number of the Hu people,which promotes the communication of Buddhism in the Southern regions.Buddhism,Taoism,and folk religions have developed together here and have been externalized into precious cultural and historical relics.This paper takes the cliff carvings on Kongwang Mountain of Lianyungang as the object of study,takes the age of stone carvings as the beginning point of study,and traces the development and communication of Buddhism and Taoism at that time.On this basis,the paper further interprets the image elements,classifies and analyzes the portraits withChinese traditional costumes,the iconography of Buddhist themes,and the images of the Hu people.Through the reconstruction of the relationship between the iconography of different themes,the paper deepens the understanding of the characteristics of Buddhism at that time,and highlights the cultural significance and value of the cliff carvings on Kongwang Mountain.In the first chapter,the paper integrates historical materials and current academic research results to trace the religious faith in Lianyungang City during Han Dynasty.Lianyungang is part of the Xuzhou County during Han Dynasty.It is the birthplace of primitive Taoism and one of the centers of Buddhism communication.Rich folk religion resources provide convenience for the development of primitive Taoism.Both Taiping Taoism and Five-fou-grain Taoism have direct or indirect links with them.The massive entry of the Hu people has enabled the rapid development of local Buddhism and provided an ideological basis for the creation of the cliff carvings on Kongwang Mountain.The second chapter is a general description of the cliff carvings on Kongwang Mountain.It discusses from the aspects of the discovery processes and carving ages of the stone carving cluster.In terms of the characteristics and ways of the communication of Buddha figures during Han Dynasty,the paper refutes the old ideas,supplements the new arguments,and further locks the carving age into the late Eastern Han Dynasty.The third chapter is based on the interpretation of the portraits in Han Dynasty,the Buddhist figures,and the images of the Hu people.Combining with the development of the local Buddhism and Taoism,the paper compares the research results of the predecessors,redefines the main figure of the carving cluster,puts forward new research ideas on the identification of the theme of the cliff carvings on Kongwang Mountain and the relationship between the three types of figures,and puts forward the author's own understanding of the religious significance.The fourth chapter is based on the summary of the previous three chapters.According to the creation age,artistic styles and the status of Buddhist elements,the cultural value and influence of the cliff carving cluster on Kongwang Mountain are proposed.Buddhism's only route of transmission,the "Land Theory",is supplemented,and the overall restoration of Buddhism in Han Dynasty is fully reproduced.Based on the summary of the previous three chapters.The fourth chapter proposes the cultural value and influence of the rock carving group of Kongwang Mountain are proposed according to the creation age,artistic styles and the Buddhist elements.Buddhism's only route of transmission,the"Land Theory",is supplemented,and the overall restoration of Buddhism in Han Dynasty is fully reproduced.