Apsara

In the Wei, Jin, and North-South Dynasties, when Buddhism was first spread, the flying immortals in the murals were once called Fei Tian (飞天, flying apsaras). With the deep development of Buddhism in China, the Buddhist flying gods and flying immortals merged with each other in artistic images. Dunhuang Fei Tian is the flying apsaras painted in the Dunhuang caves, which later became a special term for Chinese Dunhuang mural art.   01 Origin of flying apsaras In Buddhist culture, the term "Tian" not only refers to celestial abodes but also to the deities within them, such as the "Gongde Tian," which represents auspicious heavenly maidens. Within the heavenly realm, there exists a category of minor deities who flit about and attend to various matters for the apsaras. They possess exceptional singing and dancing abilities, and whenever the Buddha expounds upon his teachings, they soar through the air in graceful dances while playing music and scattering flowers. This imagery actually originated from two minor deities in Brahmanism - Gandharvas and Apsaras. The former is associated with music while the latter embodies dance. The early translators aptly rendered these minor deities as "Fei Tian," denoting their ethereal nature of soaring through…

Since the Chinoiserie style became very popular, Dunhuang culture has naturally become one of the focuses. Many Chinese actresses and hanfu models have tried the Dunhuang flying apsaras. Dunhuang flying apsaras, as the top popular exotic culture, how is it possible to combine grandeur and ebullience in such an ingenious way? It all starts with the Dunhuang murals.   The Origin of Dunhuang Frescoes During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the divisive political situation made people’s lives turbulent. The concept of Buddhism’s compassion and salvation provided comfort to suffering people and developed rapidly. There was a monk on way to the west, passing through Dunhuang and encountered a golden light spectacle, identified as a holy place. He hired the craftsman to dig caves here and carve Buddha statues. Over time, not only the princes and nobles, and even the common people have come to Dunhuang to excavate Buddhist caves, then the scale of the grottoes gradually expanded. Gradually, Dunhuang, located at the west end of the Hexi Corridor, has become a true fertile land for the spread of Buddhism, forged a rich treasure house of art and culture. Grand, magnificent, and surpassingly beautiful, Dunhuang has an unparalleled aesthetic background, known…