Kucha Caves in Modern China

Zhao Li and Huo Xuchu from the Kucha Academy of Xinjiang will discuss preservation, art, and Buddhism in the Kucha Caves.

Preservation and Management of Kucha Caves
Zhao Li, Kucha Academy of Xinjiang
This talk discusses the many difficulties and problems in the preservation and management of Kucha Caves today. Due to the wide geographic dissemination of cave temple sites across Xinjiang, many of the basic facilities needed to provide protection and management at each location are inadequate and out-dated. The situation is further complicated by the lack of roads and public transportation to these sites, limited funding and staffing issues at the Kucha Academy. The speaker hopes to draw attention to these problems in this talk so that better solutions can be reached in the future.

The State of the Field in the Study of Kizil Art and Buddhism
Huo Xuchu, Kucha Academy of Xinjiang
Art and Buddhism are two fundamental subjects in the study of Kizil Caves. To date, considerable progress have been made in understanding related Buddhist concepts such as karma and sams?ra, visualizations of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, and discourses on Release. At the art historical front, we build on findings from previous scholars to rethink broad interpretative schemes such as the Kizil Caves artistic model and the relationship between Gandhra and Kucha. This talk aims to open up other areas of research where scholars in and outside China could jointly explore.

This event is organized by the 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, and the East Asian Studies Center. It is also a part of the Kucha Research and Data Project based at Yale University and supported by the U.S. Department of Education.

This event is organized by the 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, and the East Asian Studies Center. It is also a part of the Kucha Research and Data Project based at Yale University and supported by the U.S. Department of Education.