Sacred Dazu rock carvings leave China for the first time John Rowlands, 19 January 2011 January 26th marks a special day at National Museum Cardiff as it is the opening day of a very unique and exclusive exhibition.From Steep Hillsides: Ancient Rock Carvings from Dazu, China is a collection of rare Chinese religious sculptures from the World Heritage site in Dazu.The very earliest sculpture at the sites date from the mid 7th century and these beautiful carvings depict and were influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Daoist beliefs.The exhibition will contain sculpture mostly from the 10th to the 13th century. Eclectically bringing these religions together, they create a highly original manifestation of spiritual harmony and give life to the exceptional Chinese history of this particular period.Off limits to visitors for many years, the carvings were only opened to Chinese travellers in 1961 and foreign visitors in 1980. The result is that they remain in excellent condition despite their creation centuries ago.While many of the larger carvings still remain embedded in the cliffs and mountain sides of Dazu, this is the first time the more manageable sculptures have left Chinese shores and travelled West.National Museum Cardiff will be the only museum outside of China to host this extraordinary exhibition, providing a fascinating insight into ancient rock art and Chinese culture to all those who come and visit. See more Dazu images on Flickr, keep up to date with Dazu on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @museum_cardiff #dazuwales
Dazu in Detail: Five Musicians 17 January 2011 This piece depicts five musicians on a balcony, playing (from left to right) a yaogu (waist drum), xiao (end-blown flute), di (side-blown flute), zhuban (bamboo clapper) and changgu (long hourglass drum) This group was excavated from a tomb at Moerpo in Dazu county and was intended to entertain the wealthy tomb-owner in the afterlife. Song dynasty [AD960-1279] Click on the links below to explore the musician's instruments in more detail Waist drum End-blown flute Side-blown flute Bamboo clapper Long hourglass drum Waist drum This is a yaogu, a drum tied to the musician's waist and often played by dancers End-blown flute This is a xiao, an end-blown flute traditionally made of bamboo. Side-blown flute This is a di, a side-blown flute usually made of bamboo and with a reed membrane inside to give it a distinctive sound. Bamboo clapper This is a zhuban, a percussion instrument played by clapping together several flat pieces of bamboo. Long hourglass drum This is a changgu, an hourglass-shaped drum with two ends that produce sounds in a different pitch.
Dazu in Detail: The Sakyamuni Buddha 17 January 2011 Sakyamuni ['Sage of the Sakya tribe'] is the title given to the historical Buddha. He was born Siddhartha Guatama in modern Nepal, and probably lived between 563 and 483BC. Here we focus on the various typical characteristics of Sakyamuni Buddha - hair style, the 'urna' ('third eye'), ears, hand gestures (mudra), lotus flower base. Click on the links below to explore this rock carving in more detail Hair style Third eye Ears Hand gestures Lotus flower base Hair style The Buddha's hair is depicted as short curls, which grew after he cut off his long hair and beard with his sword to show how he had rejected his previous life of luxury. Third eye Between his eyebrows, the Buddha has a tuft of hair or a third eye known as the urna, symbolising his spiritual insight. Ears The Buddha's elongated ears are a reminder of the heavy earrings and other jewellery that he once wore, before he rejected the life of princely luxury that he had been born into. Hand gestures The Buddha's missing right hand was probably once raised with the palm facing forwards, the gesture of protection and reassurance known as abhaya mudra. Or it may have had the tips of the thumb and forefinger touching, the gesture of Buddhist teaching known as vitarka mudra. The Buddha's left hand is in avakasha mudra, the gesture of leisure. Lotus flower base The lotus flower is a Buddhist symbol of purity and enlightenment, because it grows out of the mud at the bottom of a pond but remains unspoiled at the surface.
Has anyone spotted spring? Danielle Cowell, 14 January 2011 After all the snow and freezing temperatures, today seems almost hot in Cardiff at 10 degrees Celsius. My bulbs must have noticed too - because they have already started to grow! It really cheered me up to see some life returning to my garden!Ysgol Porth Y Felin reported: "Now the snow has cleared we can see that the plants are growing. It is getting warmer!" Excellent news! Let me know if the bulbs in your school have started to grow or if you have seen any other signs of spring locally? Send me photographs if you have any.At this time of year all schools taking part in this spring bulb investigation should be busy collecting weather records for a chance to win a trip and checking your bulbs daily for signs of growth. Please use the resources below to be sure to know what you are looking for and how to record properly. Keeping flower records Video diary http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/1762/ Win a trip http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/2505/ My favourite question of the week comes from Bishop Childs C.I.W Primary. They asked: "If you plant your bulb at the same time as your partner will they open their flowers at the same time?" Let me know what you think the answer is and I will reveal next week....Lots of rain & floods. Unfortunately, many areas of Wales are now suffering with floods, including our museum at St Fagans. Maesycwmmer Primary School reported that they have had "A very wet week!" with over 100mm of rain in one day. Take a look at our recent weather reports sent in from schools to see how much rain they are getting. Across the world, many countries are suffering very badly from flooding. In Brazil, Australia and Sri Lanka floods have affected the lives of many people. Although you can't make a direct link between the recent floods and climate change, they do hold a warning for the future: Scientists predict such extreme weather events will increase both in intensity and frequency as the planet warms.This is why the work that each spring bulb school is doing is so important - so please keep up the good work!Professor Plant
Floods! Gareth Bonello, 13 January 2011 First it was the snow and now it's the rain! The Ely burst its banks at St Fagans today and rose pretty high. A mere trickle compared to what's happening over in queensland though... You can help victims of the floods in Australia here
