New Directions in Longmen Grottoes Art Research

The University of Chicago Center in Beijing
20th floor, Culture Plaza
No. 59A Zhong Guan Cun Street
Haidian District Beijing 100872

On December 9th-10th, UChicago Center in Beijing hosted a symposium on the Longmen Grottoes. The two-day event featured leading scholars to discuss rising new topics generated by the update of research methods and the maturation of interdisciplinary collaboration. Over 60 attendees participated in person each day, and the live-stream attracted an audience of more than 4300 people.

The symposium opened with remarks by Professor Wu Hung, Director of the Center for the Art of East Asia at the University of Chicago, who highlighted the significance of Longmen Grottoes in the study of Chinese art. The first session focused on the historical and scholarly dimensions of Longmen Grottoes, with scholars discussing the transformation of Longmen’s landscape in the 18th century. Presentations examined early photography, rubbings, and their significance in documenting the site’s evolution, as well as the interplay between art and archaeology in interpreting these ancient works. In the afternoon, scholars delved into the excavation processes of the Longmen Grottoes, with another session further examined its value from a comparative perspective.

The second day shifted focus to modern approaches, discussing the cutting-edge technologies used to preserve and digitally reconstruct the Longmen Grottoes’ artifacts. In addition, scholars analyzed the connection between faith and imagery in the Longmen Grottoes. The scholars also presented on the overseas reception of the Longmen Grottoes, drawing on a global perspective to explore the Grottoes’ influence on Western perceptions of China. The symposium concluded with a roundtable discussion, allowing the scholars to freely exchange ideas and engage in lively discussions.

The symposium served as a significant milestone in advancing research on the Longmen Grottoes. It blended traditional scholarship with modern technological innovations while laying the foundation for future studies and pushing the boundaries of knowledge and preservation of this iconic cultural treasure.

Click HERE to watch the event recording.

Monday, December 9, 2024, 9:30 AM – 17:45 PM

9:30 – 9:40 AM Welcome & Opening Remarks

Wu Hung, University of Chicago; CAEA Director

9:40 AM – 12:15 PM Panel 1: Historiography

Ancient Steles Forest: The Transformation of Longmen as a Landmark after the Eighteenth Century (Xue Longchun, Zhejiang University)

The "Gaze" of Art Historians: Teng Gu's Two Investigations of the Longmen Grottoes and the Application of Archaeological and Art Historical Perspectives (Wei Haoyu, Capital Normal University)

10:30 – 10:45 AM Break

On Su Bai’s Theories of Model and Style (Hang Kan, Peking University/Yungang Research Institute)

Early Photography and Ink Rubbings of the Longmen Grottoes (Cao Mengge, University of Chicago)

Discussant: Katherine Tsiang, Peking University; CAEA Associate Director Emerita

12:15 – 13:30 PM Lunch (University of Chicago Beijing Center)

13:30 – 15:30 PM Panel 2: Cave Construction

Convention and the Unconventional: Lady Hou in the Guyang Cave (Kate Lingley, University of Hawai’i)

Unfinished: A Preliminary Study on the Processes and Concepts of Northern Wei Statues at Longmen Grottoes (Wang Qian, Zhengzhou University)

Thinking through the Process: Masons, Scribes, and Monastics in Leigutai Central Grotto (Zhu Pinyan, Emory University)

Climbing Steep Cliffs: The Frame Holes at Longmen Grottoes and Cliffside Landscape (Peng Minghao, Peking University)

Discussant: Zhang Zong, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

15:30 – 15:45 PM Break

15:45 – 17:45 PM Panel 3: Comparative Studies

Connectivity and Diversity: Buddhist Sculptures of Gongyi-Zhengzhou Area in the First Half of the Sixth Century (Zhao Jinchao, Tongji University)

The Northern Wei Medicine Buddha Statue at Longmen Grottoes and the Medicine Buddha Worship in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (Chang Qing, Sichuan University)

Exploring the Origins of Flying Apsaras: Based on the Two Types of Flying Apsaras in the Binyang Central Cave at the Longmen Grottoes (Qi Ziyu, Fudan University)

Protection of Longmen Grottoes from the Perspective of Cultural Landscape (Ma Chaolong, Longmen Grottoes Academy)

Discussant: Hang Kan, Peking University/Yungang Research Institute

18:00 PM Dinner (Reserved for Speakers and Guests)

Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 9:30 AM – 17:45 PM

9:30 – 9:40 AM Opening

Lin Wei-Cheng, University of Chicago; Dispersed Chinese Art Digitization Project (DCADP) Director

9:40 AM – 12:00 PM Panel 4: Digitization

Practices and Reflection of Digital Preservation for Dispersed Artifacts of the Longmen Grottoes (Gao Junping, Longmen Grottoes Academy)

Shaping Numinous Space: A Digital Reconstruction of Burial Caves and Buddhist Funerary Practices at Longmen in the Tang Dynasty (Li Lan, University of Toronto)

10:30 – 10:45 AM Break

DCADP Platform and Remote Digital Model Reconstruction Plan: Virtual Reverse Restoration of Relief Fragments from the Binyang Central Cave, Longmen Grottoes (Ouyang Zhenyu, Xi’an Jiaotong University)

Virtual Restoration of Damaged Faces in the Empress Procession Relief Based on Gaussian Process Regression (Chen Qiang, Xi’an Jiaotong University)

Discussant: Cao Mengge, University of Chicago; ; Dispersed Chinese Art Digitization Project (DCADP) Postdoctoral Researcher

12:00 – 13:00 PM Lunch (University of Chicago Beijing Center)

13:00 – 14:45 PM Panel 5: Faith and Images

The Formation of the “Central Plains Style” and the Establishment of the “Five Buddha Family Model” of Grotto Statues (Gao Dongliang, Longmen Grottoes Academy)

An Examination of Tang Dynasty Maitreya Statues in Longmen Grottoes (Wang Delu, Jilin University)

A Study on the Sacred Identities of the Eight-Armed Bodhisattva Statue in the Northern Cave of Leigutai at Longmen Grottoes (Yao Yao, Southeast University)

Discussant: Li Jingjie, Tsinghua University

14:45 – 15:00 PM Break

15:00 – 16:45 PM Panel 6: Overseas Reception

Longmen on the Global Stage: Chinese Sculpture at the Golden Gate International Exposition (Fletcher Coleman, The University of Texas at Arlington)

Blasphemy and Veneration: Destruction and Overseas Circulations of Cave Statues in the Early Twentieth Century (Zhou Mengyuan, Suzhou University)

Charles Lang Freer’s 1910 Visit to Longmen and the Reception of Chinese Buddhist Art in Early-Twentieth-Century America (Daisy Yiyou Wang, Hong Kong Palace Museum)

Discussant: Lin Wei-Cheng, University of Chicago; Dispersed Chinese Art Digitization Project (DCADP) Director

16:45 – 17:45 PM Round Table Discussion

18:00 PM Dinner (Reserved for Speakers and Guests)