05 August 2009

The Significance of the Qingzhou Buddhas

Click here for a wonderful presentation done by the Smithsonian on the 'Lost Buddhas of Qingzhou'

Again... I lament that there is little being done to preserve these relics in Qingzhou city.

2 comments:

globalgal said...

Thank you for sharing this link and the story/photos of the Qingzhou museum! I had no idea! I made the mistake as a college student of NOT becoming an archaeologist, something I always regretted and so I'm really interested in things like this. Makes me realize how ancient Shandong really is!

My husband and I have been meaning to get over to Qufu ever since we moved here and now Qingzhou seems a lot more interesting. Will all the Buddhas be loaned out? Do you think it is worthwhile to make a trip up there? Here in Linyi we have a calligraphy museum, evidently a famous calligrapher lived here, but it is not something I would recommend someone coming all the way to Linyi to see. Half the buildings were locked and it all seemed kind of... lackluster? Would Qingzhou be similar? What a shame!

Frau Johnson said...

Many of the Buddha remain. If you go, do your research in advance and bring the info with you b/c they don't seem to have much in the way of literature. There are also a couple of nearby mountains to climb... the one we visited had an active Buddhist temple @ the base.

I'm glad we went, but I'm not sure it would be better than seeing Qufu!