The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-04-18
|HINA'S Indifference to al


Hk8NSH that pertains to her glori-
0KWSN Gus past has become a
lNNy byword among men and
nations, so much so that foreigners
have been moved to rouse an inter-
est not only in China butin Europe
and America with a view to pre-.
serving her ancient monuments
and preventing the wanton pillag-
ing and destruction which have
been taking place during the past
few years. Most of these relics
have world wide importance. In
terest in them is not confined to
China, for they are part of the
story of mans evolution, and are
the common heritage of the human
race. Practically unknown to the
world, there are today to be found
in several parts of China, Buddhist
temples hewn out of the solid rock,
enriched with the most exquisite
sculpture carved in the living
stone, and hallowed by the minis
trations of sanity priests and the
devotions of simple-minded but
pious generations dead and gone.
The description of these temples
which follows is not intended as a
scientific account. 1t is an effort
to tell in simple language the story
of historic remains which, though
located in China, are for arch@o-
logical and scientific purposes the
common property of mankind.
Properly to appreciate the posi-
ton which these rock-hewn tenn
Piles and sculptured works of re-
ligious art occupy in the evolution
of China, it is necessary to make a
brief historical survey. At the
outset, it should be stated that
Buddhism was introduced into
China about A. D. 81, but did not
take hold of the masses until some
three or four centuries later. The
sixth century found China divided.
the region of the Yangtse being
ruled by the Toba Tartars, better
known as the Northern Wei,
while the South was governed by
a native dynasty known as the
Liang. Both ruling families were
adherents of Buddhism, and it is
not surprising that during this
period there was a great influx of
Indian Buddhists, the most notable
of them was Patriarch Bodhid-
harma himself.
The Toba Tartars, coming as
they did from the North, estab-
lished their capital in A. D. 313 IN
northern Shansi at a place five Ii
Gone and two-thirds miles, east of
the modern city of Tatungfu. The
head of the dynasty bore no higher
title than that of duke, but in A..
D. 1856 the reigning duke made
himself emperor, the country be-
ing divided as already mentioned.
The capital remained here until
about the close of the 5th century,
and it was during this period that
the splendid sculptured grottoes at
Yun-kang, 80 Ii to the west of
Tatangfu in the province of Shansi,
were executed.
The practice of constructing
rock-cut temples was we'll
known one in India, the most fa-
nous being those of Elephanta,
north of Bombay; and the Bud
dhists undoubtedly brought this
idea with them to China. Indeed,
traces of Hindu influence are well
: marked in some of the grottoes
near Tatungfu. At this place grot-
toes are found cut in the face of
the cliff extending for several huD-
dreds of yards. 1t is thought tnat
originally each grotto had in front
of it a temple of two or three
stories built against the face of the
cliff, as sockets are still discernible
which appear to have been intended
to receive the ends of timbers
Two such temples still exist, al.