FLIT

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…