Introduction

Feitian is the business card of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, a symbol of Dunhuang art, and an immortal work of art. Just see the graceful flying sky. People will think of the art of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Among the 492 caves in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, almost all have flying apsaras painted on them. A total of more than 4,500 bodies. There are so many of them that it can be said that they are the most preserved grottoes among the Buddhist grottoes and temples in the world and in China.

Origin of the name

The origin of the name of Dunhuang Feitian. In Buddhism, the sacred figures who are reborn in the pure land of heaven are called "heaven", such as "Great Brahma", "Heaven of Merit", "Good Talent", "Thirty-three Heavens", etc. Tang Zangzhong said: "Foreign gods are also called heaven." In Buddhism, the gods flying in the sky are called Feitian. Flying apsaras are often painted in Buddhist cave murals. In Taoism, mythological figures who ascend to heaven are called "immortals", such as "leading immortals", "celestial immortals", "barefoot immortals", etc., and gods who can fly in the air are called flying immortals. . Volume 622 of Song Dynasty's "Taiping Yulan" quoted from "Celestial Immortal Products": "Flying in the clouds, deified with light movements, thinking of heavenly immortals, and flying in the clouds."

Flying Apsaras in Buddhism

Feitian is the incarnation of Gandharva and Kinnara in Buddhism. Gandharva, translated as the God of Heavenly Songs, and Kinnara, translated as the God of Heavenly Music. They were originally the gods of entertainment and singing and dancing in ancient Indian mythology. They were a couple. They were later absorbed into Buddhism and became one of the eight gods of heaven and dragon. The task of the Gandharva is to spread fragrance in the Buddha's kingdom, offer flowers and treasures to the Buddha, live in the flowers, and fly in the heavenly palace. The task of Kinnara is to play music, sing and dance in the Buddhist kingdom, but cannot fly in the sky. Later, Gandharvas and Kinnara were mixed together, without distinction between men and women, with no separation of functions. They merged into one body and became flying gods. Nowadays, the music played in the Tiangong in the early days is called "Tiangong Jiyue", and the music played in the Tiangong in the later period is called "Feitian Jiyue".

The stylistic characteristics of Dunhuang Feitian are that they do not have wings or feathers, and they soar in the sky with the help of clouds instead of relying on clouds. Instead, they rely on fluttering dresses and flying ribbons. Thousands of shapes, ever-changing. This is the Dunhuang Feitian image developed and created on the basis of the national tradition, absorbing and integrating the achievements of foreign Feitian art.

In the early days of Dunhuang, flying apsaras were mostly painted on the chessboard corners on the top of the caves, on the caisson decorations on the top of the caves, on the upper edge of Buddhist niches and on the heads of the main characters in Jataka story paintings. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the scope of Feitian's paintings expanded to include the sermon picture and both sides of the Buddhist niche. Although the image of Feitian still retains the characteristics of Feitian in the Western Regions, it has changed and gradually transformed into Feitian in Dunhuang. For example, the figure at the back of the north wall of Cave 226 in the Northern Wei Dynasty shows flowers scattered all over the body. The face shape changes from oval to elongated but plump. The nose is full and the mouth is small. The facial features are well-proportioned. The body is slender. The dress is fluttering and flying across the sky. It is bold and generous. , the momentum is like a flying crane, the flowers are fragrant, the posture is graceful, and the movement is very strong. Feitian in the Sui Dynasty was in a period of integration, exploration and innovation. Mainly manifested in different body shapes, slender figure, moderate proportions, soft waist and graceful posture. Some faces are delicate and some are plump and round. The clothes are different, some are half-naked, some wear long-sleeved robes, and some wear short-lined robes. There are different flying styles, some flying solo, some flying in groups, some flying up, some flying down, some flying against the wind, some flying with the wind... By the Tang Dynasty, Dunhuang Feitian had completed the process of absorbing and integrating Chinese and foreign art, completely formed its own unique style, and reached the pinnacle of art. The four murals of the caves of the Tang Dynasty are filled with large-scale Sutra paintings. Feitian is not only painted on zaobing, Buddhist niches and four drapes, but most of them are painted in sutra paintings. The Buddha was preaching in the middle of the Paradise. Flying heavens were flying around in the sky. Some of them stepped on colorful clouds and slowly landed; some raised their heads and waved their arms and soared into the sky; some held flowers in their hands and soared into the sky; some held flower trays and flew across the sky. Wander. The skirts swinging in the wind and the fluttering ribbons make Feitian fly so light, clever, free and graceful, and charming. Feitian after the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty had no innovation in styling dynamics and gradually became formulaic. Although the styles and characteristics of Feitian are different, they are not as good as the previous ones, and they gradually lose their original artistic life.

The grottoes in the Dunhuang area preserve many images of flying gods that lasted for more than a thousand years from the 4th century AD (Sixteen Kingdoms) to the 14th century (Yuan Dynasty). They are treasures of national art and dazzling examples of Buddhist art. A strange flower.

The symbol and development of flying immortals

Flying immortals are often painted in tomb murals, symbolizing that the soul of the owner of the tomb can ascend to heaven. After Buddhism was introduced to China, it communicated and merged with Chinese Taoism. In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, when Buddhism was first introduced, the flying gods in murals were also called flying immortals. There was no distinction between flying immortals and flying immortals. Later, with the further development of Buddhism in China, although the flying gods of Buddhism and the flying immortals of Taoism were integrated with each other in artistic images, in terms of names, only the flying gods in Buddhist cave murals were called flying gods. Dunhuang Feitian is the flying god painted in the Dunhuang Grottoes, and later became a special term for Dunhuang mural art.

The artistic image of Dunhuang Feitian

In terms of the artistic image of Dunhuang Feitian, it is not the artistic image of one culture, but a complex of multiple cultures. Although the hometown of Feitian is in India, Dunhuang Feitian is the culmination of Indian culture, Western Region culture, and Central Plains culture. It is a flying apsara with Chinese cultural characteristics that has been integrated into one through long-term exchanges and events between Indian Buddhist heavenly beings and Chinese Taoist feathered beings, as well as the flying apsaras from the Western Regions and the flying apsaras from the Central Plains. It is a flying apsara that has no wings, no feathers, no round light, relies on colorful clouds instead of relying on colorful clouds, and relies mainly on fluttering dresses and flying ribbons. Dunhuang Feitian can be said to be the most genius creation of a Chinese artist and a miracle in the history of world art.

Characteristics of the Feitian in Dunhuang

The Feitian in Dunhuang murals appeared at the same time as the creation of Huai Cave. Starting from the Sixteen Kingdoms, it went through ten dynasties and lasted for more than a thousand years until the Yuan Dynasty. At the end of the period, it disappeared with the construction of Dunhuang Grottoes. In this long history of more than a thousand years, due to changes in historical circumstances such as the change of dynasties, the transfer of political power, the development and prosperity of the economy, the frequent exchanges of Chinese and Western cultures, Feitian's artistic image, posture and artistic conception, style and taste have all changed. Constantly changing, different eras and different artists have left us Feitian with different styles and characteristics. For more than a thousand years, Dunhuang Feitian has formed a unique history of evolution and development. Its evolution history is generally consistent with the entire Dunhuang art development history and is divided into four stages.

Rising Period

From the Northern Liang Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Northern Wei Dynasty, about 170 years ago, the Dunhuang Feitian during this period was deeply influenced by the Apsaras from India and the Western Regions, and was generally a Western Regions Feitian. However, the characteristics of Feitian in the two dynasties during this period were also slightly different. In the Northern Liang Dynasty of Mogao Grottoes, most of the flying Apsaras were painted on the top of the cave, in the decoration of the caisson on the top of the cave, on the upper edge of the Buddhist niche and on the head of the subject of the Jataka story painting. Its modeling and artistic characteristics are: round head, oval face, straight nose and big eyes, big mouth and big ears, round earrings, bun in a bun, or a mandrel or an Indian five-jeweled crown, and a short and stout figure. The upper body is half-naked, with a long skirt wrapped around the waist and a large scarf draped over the shoulders. Due to the sfumato technique, the color changes, resulting in a white nose bridge and white eyeballs. It is similar to the Feitian in the grottoes such as Qiuci in the Western Regions, in terms of shape, face, posture, color, and painting skills. Very similar.

The flying apsaras with the most Northern Wei style are the two flying apsaras painted on the north wall of Cave 254 above the story painting "The King of Corpses" and the two flying apsaras above the story painting on the back of the north wall of cave 260 . The outstanding features of this four-body apsara are: a round head, an Indian-style five-jeweled crown, and a slender face. Due to discoloration, it has a white nose bridge, white eye circles, and a small face. The upper body is half naked, and the legs are slender, forming a "U" shape with a large opening. Dresses fluttered, scarves flew across the sky, and flowers fell from the sky all around. Although Feitian's body and streamers have changed color, the smudges and lines of Feitian's dress and ribbons are very clear. Feitian's flight is dynamic and powerful, and his posture is free and graceful.

The period of innovation

From the Western Wei Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty, it lasted about 80 years. During this period, the Feitian of Dunhuang was in the stage of communication, integration, innovation and change between Buddhist heavenly beings and Taoist feathered beings, and the Feitian of the Western Regions and the Feitian of the Central Plains. It was a combination of Chinese and Western Feitian. The Feitian of the Western Wei Dynasty in Mogao Grottoes is generally painted in the same position as that of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It’s just that during the Western Wei Dynasty, two types of Feitian with different styles and characteristics appeared, one was the Western Regions-style Feitian and the other was the Central Plains-style Feitian. The Western Region-style Feitian inherits the shape and painting style of the Northern Wei Dynasty Feitian. Among them, the biggest changes are: Gandharva, as the god of incense, scatters flowers and flies into the sky, picks up various musical instruments and flies in the air; Kinnara, as the god of singing and dancing, performs musical instruments in the heavenly palace, breaks out of the sky fence and also flies in the sky .

The two gods merged into one and became the later Feitian, also known as Sanhua Feitian and Jiyue Feitian. His representative works include the Four-Body Musical Flying Apsara above the Buddhist niche on the west wall of Cave 249

The Central Plains-style Flying Apsara is a Central Plains art brought from Luoyang when Wang Rong of Dongyang was the governor of Guazhou (ancient Dunhuang). The painting style is a new kind of Feitian created in Mogao Grottoes. This kind of flying apsara is a fusion of Chinese Taoist flying immortals and Hindu flying apsaras: the Chinese Taoist flying immortals have lost their wings, bare their upper bodies, wear necklaces around their necks, wear long skirts around their waists, and have colorful ribbons on their shoulders; the Indian Buddhist flying immortals have lost their heads The round light and the Indian crown were tied up, and the Taoist crown was put on. The character image is promoted to have a Central Plains "beautiful bones and clear image" shape, with a slender figure, a thin face and a long neck, a wide and narrow forehead, a straight nose, beautiful eyes, thin and bright eyebrows, an upturned corner of the mouth, and a slight smile. The most representative one is the twelve flying apsaras on the upper floor of the south wall of Cave 282. These twelve flying apsaras, with their heads tied in double buns, their upper bodies exposed, long skirts tied around their waists, and colorful ribbons draped over their shoulders, have slender figures and form a large-open horizontal bow shape. They fly against the wind and play waist drums, clappers, flutes, horizontal flutes, reeds, and other instruments. Pipa, ruanxian, harp and other musical instruments. The surrounding ceiling is spinning and the clouds are drifting, setting off the flying sky, flying in the wind, as light as a swallow, taking care of each other, free and happy, roaming in space.

The Northern Zhou Dynasty was a minority regime established by the Xianbei people in the northwest. Although its reign was short, many caves were built in the Mogao Grottoes. The rulers of the Xianbei people believed in Buddhism and had good connections with the Western Regions, so the Western Region-style flying apsaras appeared again in the Mogao Grottoes. This new flying apsara has the style of the apsaras from the Qiuci, Kizil and other grottoes, with a round face, a strong body, and long legs. He is short, has a round head, wears an Indian crown, has an exposed upper body, has large breasts and a round navel, wears a long skirt around his waist and a scarf around his shoulders. The most striking thing is that the face and body were dyed using a concave and convex blending method. Due to discoloration, five white spots appeared: white edges, white nose bridge, white eye sockets, and white chin. The flying posture is in an open "U" shape, the body is short and strong, and the movement is simple, almost returning to the characteristics of the flying apsara painting style of the Northern Liang period of Mogao Grottoes. However, the image is much richer than that in the Northern Liang period, and there are many Jiyue Feitian.

The Feitian with the most Northern Zhou style is the Feitian in Cave 290 and Cave 428. Feitian in these two caves. He has a strong body, a plump face, a round head, and wears an Indian crown. His facial features are white, his upper body is exposed, he wears a long skirt around his waist, and a scarf around his shoulders. His body is dyed thickly with uneven smudges, and his breasts are enlarged and his navel is discolored due to discoloration. more prominent. The Ji Le Tian Fei in Cave 428 has rich shapes. Some play the pipa, some the harp, some the transverse flute, or some the waist drum. They are vivid in image and graceful in posture. Especially the flying figure on the west side of the south wall, holding a recorder in both hands and kicking the purple gold crown with both feet. The long belt flies from under the body, and the ceiling is falling all around. Its flying posture is like a nimble swallow swooping down. The Sui Dynasty was the era when the number of flying apsaras in Mogao Grottoes paintings was the largest, and it was also the era when the Mogao Grottoes had the most types of apsaras and the richest gestures. In addition to the flying apsaras painted in the Northern Dynasties, the flying apsaras of the Sui Dynasty were mainly painted around the caisson on the top of the cave, around the upper level of the cave, and on both sides of the niche on the west wall. They mostly appeared in groups. The style of the flying apsaras in the Sui Dynasty can be summarized into four different styles. Same. Regional characteristics are different. In the caves of the Sui Dynasty, there are both Western Region-style flying apsaras and Central Plains-style flying apsaras, and today’s style is a combination of Chinese and Western styles.

Face shapes and body shapes are different. Face shapes range from round to delicate; figures range from strong to slender. But most of them have slender figures, moderate proportions, soft and slender waists, and graceful figures. The clothes are different, some are half-naked, and some are like Zhangzhi; some are wearing sleeveless short skirts, and some are wearing wide-sleeved long skirts; some are wearing crowns, some are wearing buns, and there are also bald monks. Flying style. The flying postures are different, some fly up, some fly down, some fly sideways with the wind, some fly sideways against the wind, some fly solo, and some fly in a group, but the flying posture is no longer in a "U" shape. The body stretches more freely. Generally speaking, Feitian in the Sui Dynasty was in a period of communication, integration, exploration, and innovation. The general trend is to develop in the direction of Sinicization, which laid the foundation for the complete Sinicization of Feitian in the Tang Dynasty. The Feitian with the most Sui Dynasty style is the Feitian in Cave 427 and Cave 404. Cave 427 is one of the large caves in the Sui Dynasty. It is also the cave with the most paintings of flying apsaras in the Sui Dynasty. On the four walls of this cave, there are 108 flying apsaras surrounding the cave along the railings of the Tiangong.

These 108 flying apsaras all wear crowns on their heads, are half-naked on their upper bodies, have necklaces on their necks, bracelets on their hands, long skirts around their waists, and colorful ribbons around their shoulders. Many of them have the legacy of the shapes and costumes of the apsaras from the Western Regions. Although the skin color has darkened, the image is still very clear. Some have their hands clasped together, some are holding lotuses, some are holding flower trays, some are scattering flowers, and some are holding musical instruments such as harps, pipas, flutes, and harps, facing a Flying around the cave. Its postures are diverse, its body is light, its long flowing skirt and flying ribbons are curled up in the wind. All around Feitian, floating clouds and falling flowers are flying, which is very dynamic and full of vitality. Cave 404 is a medium-sized cave from the middle and late Sui Dynasty. The four walls of the cave are painted with heavenly palace railings, and the flying sky surrounds the cave. Just like the flying apsaras in Cave 427, they have different postures. Some are holding lotuses, some are holding flower trays, some are scattering flowers, and some are holding various musical instruments. They are flying against the wind in one direction, with light bodies and graceful postures. But there have been great changes in jewelry and clothing: there is no round head, no crown, some have a peach-shaped fairy bun, some have a double-ring fairy bun, some have a fairy boy bun, the face is egg-shaped, and the eyebrows are clear. Rice has a slender figure, light and soft clothes, and long and wide towels. The clothes, face, and body posture are like those of Feitian in the early Tang Dynasty, and they have been completely Chineseized.

The heyday

It lasted through the entire Tang Dynasty from the early to the late Tang Dynasty, about 300 years. The Dunhuang Flying Apsara is developed and created based on the traditional culture and art of this nation, continuously absorbing the elements of the Indian Flying Apsara, and integrating the achievements of the Western Regions and the Central Plains Flying Apsara. Starting from the Sixteen Kingdoms, it went through the five dynasties of Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui Dynasty. Within a hundred years, Dunhuang Feitian completed the mutual exchange, absorption, and integration of China and foreign countries, east and west, north and south, and completed the Sinicization process. In the Tang Dynasty, Dunhuang Feitian entered a mature period, and its artistic image reached its most perfect stage. During this period, the Dunhuang flying apsaras no longer had the style of flying apsaras from India and the Western Regions, and were completely Chinese-style flying apsaras.

The Tang Dynasty was the dynasty with the largest number of large-scale Sutra paintings in the Mogao Grottoes. Almost all four walls of the caves are occupied by large-scale Sutra paintings. Feitian is also mainly painted in large-scale warp paintings. In terms of subject matter, on the one hand, it shows scenes of Buddha preaching in large-scale sutra paintings, with flowers scattered, singing, dancing, and praise as offerings; on the other hand, it shows the heavenly realm of the Buddha in the large-scale sutra paintings - "Western Pure Land", "Eastern Pure Land", etc. The joy of Elysium. The apsaras circled the Buddha's head or soared over the Paradise. Some stepped on the colorful clouds and landed slowly; some raised their heads and raised their arms and soared into the sky; some held flowers in their hands and soared into the sky; some held flower trays in their hands, Floating across the sky. The fluttering skirts and flying dance ribbons are just like the poetic and picturesque description of the great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai's poem praising fairies: "Hibiscus in bare hands, walking on tiptoe. The colorful ribbons are trailing, floating up to the sky."

Grave experts at the Dunhuang Academy divide the Tang Dynasty art of the Dunhuang Grottoes into four stages: the early Tang Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the middle Tang Dynasty and the late Tang Dynasty. These four stages are divided into two periods: the early and prosperous Tang Dynasty is the early period, that is, the Tang Dynasty directly ruled the Dunhuang area (618-781 AD); the middle and late Tang Dynasty is the later period, that is, the Tufan people occupied the Dunhuang area , and the period when Zhang Yichao, the governor of the Hexi Guiyi Army, governed the Dunhuang area (781-907 AD). Artistic style best reflects the political, economic, and social forms of the era. Feitian in the early Tang Dynasty was characterized by enterprising, bold and powerful, free and unrestrained, and strange appearance. The ever-changing beauty of flight. This is consistent with the enlightened politics, strong national power, prosperous economy, rich culture, and open and enterprising spirit of the early Tang Dynasty. The flying apsaras that are most characteristic of the early Tang Dynasty style are the double flying apsaras painted in Cave 321 of the early Tang Dynasty and the four flying apsaras painted in Cave 320 of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

On both sides of the Buddhist niche on the west wall of Cave 321 are two figures of flying apsaras. The flying posture of these two Feitian is very graceful. Although Feitian's face and body have turned black, the outline of the eyebrows, body posture, and the lines of the ribbons on the dress are very clear: the figure is slim, the head is held high, the legs are raised, The flowers are scattered with both hands, and the skirts and scarves stretch with the wind, falling slowly from top to bottom, like two swallows flying in the air, showing the beauty of graceful and light flight. The Four Flying Apsaras in Cave 320 are painted above the canopy above the head of Amitabha in the "Transformation of the Pure Land of the West" on the south wall.

Two bodies on each side, in a symmetrical form, chase each other around the canopy: one in front, spreading flowers with his hands, looking back, raising his arms in pursuit. Calling in front and responding in the back, it shows a kind of spirit that is both enterprising and free, and the beauty of flight. Around Feitian, colorful clouds float and fragrant flowers fall, which not only shows Feitian making offerings to the Buddha, but also expresses the freedom and joy of the Buddhist paradise. Although Feitian's body has turned black and his face is unclear, the overall image is clear, with a slender figure, light posture, accurate human body proportions, smooth and powerful line drawing, and bright and rich colors. It is one of the representative works of Feitian in the Tang Dynasty.

The momentum and posture of Feitian in the late Tang Dynasty no longer had the aggressive spirit and free and joyful mood of the early period. In terms of artistic modeling, the clothes have changed from bright and rich to elegant and light, the human body has changed from plump and delicate to thin and simple, and the expression has changed from excitement and joy to calm and melancholy. Among them, the most representative ones are the several flying apsaras painted on the west wall of the large-scale "Nirvana Sutra" on the west wall of Cave 158 in the Middle Tang Dynasty. These flying apsaras are flying around the Bodhi tree cover on the upper layer of the "Nirvana Sutra". , some are holding flower plates, some are holding necklaces, some are holding incense burners, some are playing Qiang flutes, and some are scattering flowers and making offerings to the Buddha. But his expression was calm and there was no sense of joy. The solemn and solemn expression revealed a sad and sad look, which reflected a religious state of "sorrow between heaven and man". At the same time, it also reflected the decline of national power in the late Tang Dynasty. , the worries of the Chinese people and the mood of the people praying to the gods and Buddhas to return to the Tang Dynasty when the Tubo people ruled the Dunhuang area. Among these bodies, the one located on the north side of Baogai has the most expressive posture and expression. In its flying posture, its head is held high, its chest is held high, its hands are holding a necklace, its legs are raised back, surrounding the treasure cover, falling gently from top to bottom, with long belts flying on its back and colorful flowers swirling under its chest. The clothes are simple and elegant, the body is only drawn with lines, the features are delicate, the expression is solemn and slightly sad. The flying posture is no longer as exciting and light as in the early Tang Dynasty, and seems a bit heavy.

The Decline Period

From the Five Dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty, including the Five Dynasties, Song Dynasty, Xixia, and Yuan Dynasties, it lasted for more than 460 years. During this period, Dunhuang Feitian inherited the remnants of the Tang Dynasty, and the prison sentence dynamics There is no innovation in it, and it is gradually moving towards formula. There is no longer the innovative and changeable spirit of the Sui Dynasty or the enterprising spirit of the Tang Dynasty. Although Feitian's artistic level and style characteristics are different, they are not as good as each generation, which gradually promotes the original artistic life. The Feitian style of these four dynasties is briefly described as follows: The Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty were the periods when the Hexi Guiyi Army Cao's regime governed the Dunhuang area. Feitian in this period inherited the remaining styles of the Tang Dynasty, but there were no innovative works, and their flying was poor and no longer alive, which completely promoted the angry and cheerful tone of Feitian in the Tang Dynasty. However, the Cao regime believed in Buddhism and built or renovated a large number of caves in the Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Grottoes. It also established a painting academy and hired some famous painters at the time to inherit the style of the Tang Dynasty. Some excellent flying masterpieces were left behind. His representative works are the Feitian in Cave 16 of Yulin Grottoes and Cave 327 of Mogao Grottoes. Cave 16 of Yulin Grottoes is a cave from the early Five Dynasties. Although the flying apsaras painted in the cave are not as lively, pretty and light as the flying apsaras of the Tang Dynasty, they have this craftsmanship, but they are very decorative. For example, in this cave, there are two flying figures playing guzheng and harp, which are perfectly painted. Both flying figures have buns on their heads, curved eyebrows and big eyes, a straight nose and small lips, a plump face, ringed earlobes, and a half-naked upper body. The chest is decorated with a necklace, the arms are decorated with bracelets, the waist is tied with a long skirt, the bare feet are exposed, and the hands are skillfully playing the strings, with an elegant posture. Its biggest feature is that the flying scarf is three times as long as the body. There are fluttering flowers in the middle of the flying scarf. There are colorful clouds flowing under the flying scarf. The flying sky seems to be soaring against the wind on the colorful flowers. The whole picture is symmetrical and equal. Very decorative.

Cave 327 is a cave in the late Song Dynasty of Mogao Grottoes. The top of the cave is draped on all four sides and has a circle of flying stars on the lower edge. Some are holding flowers and some are playing music to make offerings to the Buddha. The two flying apsaras on the north side of its east slope have a more perfect image and posture. Both of them are wearing buns, beaded crowns, bare upper body, necklaces, and precious bracelets on their arms. They have plump faces and delicate eyebrows.

Dance "Flying"

The dance "Flying" presents a visual feast to the audience. In this year's Spring Festival Gala, the dance "Flying Apsaras" attracted attention: seven dancers dressed as fairies stood on the lifting stage, using their bodies and music to interpret the image of Flying Apsaras in Dunhuang murals, matching the petals falling on the stage...

In "Flying", the audience can see that the bodies of the seven dancers are either parallel to the stage or perpendicular to the stage. Their right legs are the support points of the whole body and are fixed on the stage. The character is an "iron guy" who dances a light flying dance wearing "iron boots" fixed on the stage. You can imagine the difficulty. Only in this way can we create the unique shape of the flying fairies in the Dunhuang murals