Chapter 75 Visit Longmen Grottoes

In May 1936, Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng went to Luoyang together. Together with Liu Dunzhen, Chen Mingda, Zhao Zhengzhi and others who were investigating ancient buildings in Henan, they inspected the Longmen Grottoes. The Longmen Grottoes are located on the Yihe River in the south of Luoyang.The statues in the grottoes began when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital to Luoyang in 493 A.D. After the Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui and other dynasties, the Longmen Grottoes began to take shape.In the Tang Dynasty, Longmen gradually became the center of royal and noble statue activities.Over the past dynasties, more than 2,100 caves and niches have been excavated on the side of Yishui River and on the cliff of Longmen Mountain, and more than 100,000 statues have been carved.There are more than 3,300 inscriptions and other inscriptions, and more than 40 pagodas have been built. Together with the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, they are also known as the three major grottoes in China.

Longmen in the 1930s was located in the wilderness, with impassable roads and few people.The thorns on the mountain pulled the skirt and hair from time to time, so she simply took out the towel she carried with her and tied it on her head.Sicheng smiled and said, "Hey, she has really become the daughter-in-law of a northern farm family." As usual, they each have their own division of labor.Liang Sicheng and Chen Mingda took pictures of the caves and Buddha statues, Lin Huiyin recorded the carvings of Buddha statues and niches, Liu Dunzhen numbered the caves and recorded the architectural features, and Zhao Zhengzhi copied the inscriptions and excavation dates.

The grottoes have been in disrepair for a long time, and the inscriptions are unclear, and their work is progressing slowly.In order to choose the right angle when taking pictures, Sicheng often forgets the dangerous path under his feet.Once, he almost fell down the mountain without paying attention, and the local handyman who led them shouted in shock: "Sir, be careful! Be careful!" When they came to Fengxian Temple, they were immediately overwhelmed by the majestic statues here, and their spirits could not help but be lifted. The 17-meter-high Lushana Buddha sits upright among the group of statues, with a magnificent bearing and a solemn appearance.The face of the Buddha statue is merciful, broad, stern and refined, revealing the great compassion of insight into everything.Compared with the Yungang Grottoes, the Sakyamuni sitting there is obviously influenced by Indian Buddha statues, and its expression seems dull.

Sicheng repeatedly praised: "How can such a tall Buddha statue be carved so vividly!" Everyone has noticed that there is a cliff more than ten meters away from Fengxian Temple, with the blue sky above and Yishui below.The craftsmen obviously couldn't step back and observe the details of the Buddha statue's face, and it was too far across the river. At that time, there were no auxiliary tools such as telescopes. How did they grasp the Buddha statue's expression? Everyone can't help but think about the craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty. Impressed by their superb skills.

Seeing these gentlemen from the capital like the Buddha statues in their hometowns, the handymen who were bored waiting by were somewhat satisfied.He told the legend about Longmen with a strong Luoyang accent: "I heard from people in the old life that this Longmen Mountain used to be a whole mountain. There was a sheep-herding boy who came to the mountain to herd sheep every day. After a long time, he always heard a voice on the mountain chasing him. The voice was very muffled and deep. , He could hear it wherever he went. The muffled voice was chasing him and asking, 'On-no-on? On-no-on?' He couldn't even look where it came from, Feel very puzzled.

"When he got home, he told his grandma about it. His grandma was busy cooking and listening to her grandson, without raising her head, she said, "If I ask you again tomorrow, just say ,open!' "The next day, that kid went up to herd sheep again. It was almost dusk, and when he drove the sheep back home, the dull voice sounded again: 'Open-no-open? Open-no-open?' Herding sheep Wa'er remembered what grandma said, let go of her voice and yelled: "Open—" I only heard the rumbling sound of landslides and rocks, Longmen Mountain split from the middle, divided into two halves, and the roaring Yihe River split from here. Flowing through the mountains...

"Since then, Longshan has become like this..." The sun was setting in the west, and the golden sunset was projected into Fengxian Temple, making the smile of Lu Shena Buddha appear more meaningful and mysterious.