Upon leading a victorious rebellion against the
foreign Mongul rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, a
peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang seized control of
China and founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368. As
emperor, he founded his capital at Nanjing and
adopted the name Hongwu as his reign title.
Hongwu, literally meaning “vast military,” reflects
the increased prestige of the army during the
Ming Dynasty. Due to the very realistic threat still
posed by the Mongols, Hongwu realized that a
strong military was essential to Chinese
prosperity. Thus, the orthodox Confucian view
that the military was an inferior class to be ruled
over by an elite class of scholars was
reconsidered. During the Ming Dynasty, China
proper was reunited after centuries of foreign
incursion and occupation. Ming troops controlled
Manchuria, and the Korean Joseon Dynasty
respected the authority of the Ming rulers, at
least nominally.
Like the founders of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-
220 A.D.), Hongwu was extremely suspicious of
the educated courtiers that advised him and,
fearful that they might attempt to overthrow him,
he successfully consolidated control of all aspect
of government. The strict authoritarian control
Hongwu wielded over the affairs of the country
was due in part to the centralized system of
government he inherited from the Monguls and
largely kept intact. However, Hongwu replaced
the Mongul bureaucrats who had ruled the
country for nearly a century with native Chinese
administrators. He also reinstituted the
Confucian examination system that tested
would-be civic officials on their knowledge of
literature and philosophy. Unlike the Song
Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.), which received most of
its taxes from mercantile commerce, the Ming
economy was based primarily on agriculture,
reflecting both the peasant roots of its founder
as well as the Confucian belief that trade was
ignoble and parasitic.
Culturally, the greatest innovation of the Ming
Dynasty was the introduction of the novel.
Developed from the folk tales of traditional
storytellers, these works were transcribed in the
everyday vernacular language of the people.
Advances in printmaking and the increasing
population of urban dwellers largely contributed
to the success of these books. Architecturally,
the most famous monument of the Ming Dynasty
is surely the complex of temples and palaces
known as the Forbidden City that was
constructed in Beijing after the third ruler of the
Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongle, moved the
capital there. Today, the Forbidded Palace
remains one of the hallmarks of traditional
Chinese architecture and is one of the most
popular tourist destinations in the vast nation.
During the spread of Buddhism from India to
China, many holy sites were constructed in
natural caves found throughout the continent.
Images of the Buddha, as well as numerous
associated disciples, saints, and guardians, were
carved from stone in situ. This large fragment of
a Bodhisattva frontally carved from a panel may
have belonged to a group of Buddhist deities and
celestial beings. An enlightened being that
defers ultimate paradise to save others, the
Bodhisattva is a companion and assistant of the
Buddha who may appear in a group, but also has
the stature to be represented alone as it often is
in popular tutelary form.
This particular Bodhisattva is sculpted with
realistic and well-defined human features. An
inviting feeling of warmth generates from his
smile that clearly indicates his humanly
attributes and unconditional love. Modeled with
a small face, flattened nose, and downward
slanting eyes, the figure also exhibits a princely
quality which is evidenced in his ornate attire: a
long beaded necklace with lotus clasps, wide
plate choker, voluminous robe, and headdress
consisting of hanging side spangles, floral
designed crown with a band of tassels, and head
straps. The graceful contours of his five lotus
petal nimbus is nicely echoed in the modeling of
his hairline. In addition to being a sacred
religious icon, this work is a wonderful portrayal
of the Bodhisattva’s nature.
