In 1996, one of the more important archaeological finds of the 20th century was made by chance in the city of Qingzhou in Shandong province, northeast China. Imagine the surprise of the construction workers who, while levelling the ground to build a school sports field, discovered a pit filled with over 400 stone sculptures.

Carved from local limestone, these serene-looking sculptures were created in the 6th century CE during the Northern Wei, Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties. They were probably commissioned by Buddhist monks or members of the local Buddhist community, as an act of merit that would contribute to a favourable rebirth. The archaeologists discovered that these broken sculptures were deposited carefully in the pit, in an east-west orientation. The better preserved stone torsos were in the centre; the broken-off heads were found along the edges, while other fragments made in pottery, clay and wood were found at the bottom of the pit. Judging from the dates on coins found in the pit, these sculptures were buried in the 12th century. The reason for their burial remains a mystery.

Lying undisturbed for over 800 years, many of these amazing sculptures still retain traces of paint and gilding that hint at their original splendour and set them apart from other examples from this era in China. The 35 sculptures displayed in this exhibition are among the best preserved and most exquisite of the sculptures from the Qingzhou find. This exhibition is organised by the Asian Civilisations Museum at the Peranakan Museum.

Image:
Stele with a Buddha & Two Bodhisattvas
Eastern Wei (534 - 50)
Limestone, 310 x 180 x 35cm
Photo courtesy of Qingzhou Municipal Museum