Kucha and the Silk Road

This USC event explores the cave temples of Kucha, which rank among some of the most significant monuments along the ancient Silk Road.

Located in what is now the westernmost part of China, these sites were once major centers of Buddhism and repositories of rich artistic practices sponsored by the Central Asian Kingdom of Kucha. Their later history was intertwined with the dissemination of Islam and the great game of empire-building across the region. This symposium brings together scholars from around the world to discuss a wide range of issues related to the study and preservation of major cave temples such as Kizil and Kumtura, as well as the place of Kucha in world history.

Symposium Schedule

Welcoming remarks by Selma Holo, John Pollini, and Sonya Lee, USC
9:30–9:45 a.m.

Panel 1: Visual Culture of Cave Temples
9:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Angela Howard, Rutgers University
        The Visual Language of Meditation in the Décor of Kucha Caves
Neil Schmid, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
        Ksitigarbha and Paths of Rebirth in Kucha Caves
Lilla Russell-Smith, Asian Art Museum, Berlin
        Research and Conservation of Artifacts from Kucha in the Asian Art Museum, Berlin
Lothar von Falkenhausen, UCLA
        Commentary

Panel 2: Past, Present, Future
2:30–5 p.m.
Valerie Hansen, Yale University
        Situating Kucha in the History of the Silk Road
Adele Di Ruocco, USC
        Chess Game or Treasure Hunting? Russian Imperial Expeditions along the Silk Road
Bruce Zuckerman, USC
        New Imaging Technologies for Kucha Wall Paintings
Sonya Lee, USC
        Commentary

The symposium is open to the public and requires no prior registration. Directions to USC University Park Campus can be found at http://web-app.usc.edu/maps/. For further information, contact Sonya Lee at sonyasle@usc.edu.

This event is organized by Departments of Art History and East Asian Languages and Cultures at USC, with support from the USC Fisher Museum of Art International Museum Institute, the Visual Culture in the Ancient World Initiative, East Asian Studies Center, and Center for Religion and Civic Culture. It is also part of the Kucha Research and Database Project based at Yale University supported by the United States Department of Education.