The Ten Kingdoms
Text
Wushan holds Buddhist blessing festival to promote tourism
A Buddhist blessing festival was held in Tianshui city, Wushan county in Gansu province from June 23 to 25, attracting more than 30,000 visitors per day. The event was organized to publicize local tourism, said the local authority. The three-day event, officially titled "Cliff Temple Buddha Blessing, Culture Tourism Festival", gathered locals who gave a traditional drumming performance in the city's Water Curtain Cave square, also known as Shuiliandong square. Other fun activities included folk performances, concerts, a land boat parade, calligraphy, and a pottery exhibition. This year, Wushan was awarded as one of China's first national global demonstration zones, due to the county's considerable wealth in natural scenic sites and Buddhist heritage. Wushan holds Buddhist blessing festival to promote tourism Locals put on a drum performance in Water Curtain Cave square, or Shuiliandong square, in Tianshui city on June 23. [Photo/Xinhua] According to the local authority, the county will try to attract more investment to its tourism industry, and obtain a greater reach to promote its natural beauty and culture to the rest of the world. Wushan is especially famous for its Water Curtain Cave, a national 4A-level scenic spot. The Water Curtain Cave is a naturally-occurring grotto 50 meters tall and 20 meters deep. During the rainy season, water flows over an entrance to the cave creating an effect similar to an old jade curtain. The Buddhist frescoes found inside the grottoes in Wushan county were made during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-960). Taking years to construct, the sites are now home to several famous tourist attractions such as the Thousand-Buddha Cave and Lashao Temple which is treasured for its valuable inscriptions, sculpture and frescoes. The scenic area is home to more than 100 Buddha sculptures, 2,000-square-meters of frescoes, eight dagobas and 10 inscriptions, especially, the Shaola Temple Buddha, the largest outdoor sculpture of a Buddha in Asia. According to local authorities, due to the increased promotion Wushan county’s natural wonders and Buddhist relics in recent years, social welfare has improved in many areas. Edited by Owen Fishwick
Buddhist texts: Project revival
Three sacred Buddhist texts are now on display in Beijing as rare early examples of block printing in China around the seventh century. Called "national treasures" by scholars, the texts are highlights of an exhibition of some 100 ancient and classic books from across the country, being held at the National Library of China. One of the exhibits is a printed version of Mile Shangsheng Jing, one of the three sutras of Maitreya, the future Buddha. Dating AD 927 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-960), it is the second-earliest surviving printed document that has been found in China. Diamond Sutra, the world's earliest printed book from China, is, however, not on display at the current exhibition. The Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) copy of the Diamond Sutra, found in one of the Dunhuang caves in 1907 by Hungarian-British explorer Aurel Stein, is now part of the British Library. The Beijing show has a Diamond Sutra copy that is not dated but has been traced back to the early 10th century by researchers at the national library. Among other rare books on display is a mid-10th century copy of Mile Xiasheng Jing, one of the three Maitreya sutras.
Chengdu reveals Tang Dynasty's classical garden
PrintMailLarge Medium Small Chengdu reveals Tang Dynasty's classical garden The ruins of a classical Chinese garden landscape of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) discovered at a construction site in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, July 12, 2015. So far, archeologists have found a well, three ditches, an artificial pond, and some other articles. [Photo/Chinanews.com] Ruins of a classical Chinese garden landscape of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) have been discovered at a construction site in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, according to Sichuan Daily on Sunday. Although the archaeological excavation on the site began in March, the ruins were found only recently. So far, an area of 2500 square meters has been excavated, with a well, three ditches, and an artificial pond been discovered. Meanwhile, a lot of chinaware for daily usages, few stone inscriptions related to Buddhism, and construction elements have also been unearthed at the site. The three ditches of the landscape garden, which stretches about 90 meters, convene at a dam and then connect to the artificial pond. "The main body of the ruins should be an architectural group of landscape style from the period of Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) or Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-960)," said Yi Li, an expert from Chengdu archaeological team. Based on the evidences, archaeologists concluded that the ruins might be a part of the garden landscape in Wanfo Temple. The historical site of Wanfo Temple, or Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, is situated not far away from the ruins. It is an ancient monastery with more than one thousand year history located outside the northwest gate of ancient Chengdu, firstly constructed in Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and destroyed in the warfare in late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing dynasties (1644-1911).
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 Royal family members hunted and exercised at the lake during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960).
2 Leifeng Pagoda was built in 975, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-960).
3 Children are performing an acrobatic show, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.