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The Yuan Dynasty was established by Kublai
Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, upon
relocating the capital of his empire from
Mongolia to Beijing. The Forbidden City was
constructed, a relative oasis of Mongolian culture
in the heart of China. While the Mongol elite
retained their native language and customs, they
did adopt the Chinese system of bureaucratic
government and cemented the authoritarian rule
of the emperor. Although they were relatively
unaffected by Chinese culture, the Yuan did little
to stifle the native traditions and beliefs of their
subjects. Buddhism continued to flourish,
although the monasteries received little funding
from the state. In fact, during the Yuan Dynasty,
China first began to open up to foreigners.
Christian and Hindu missionaries arrived in
Beijing and Marco Polo made his famous journey
during the Yuan era. While the Chinese never
accepted the Yuan as a legitimate dynasty,
instead viewing them as foreign bandits, the
Mongolians rebelled against the Beijing Khans
for
becoming, “too Chinese.” In the end, the Yuan
Dynasty had the shortest duration of the major
Chinese Dynasties, lasting little more than a
hundred years.
In the Buddhist religion bodhisattvas are souls
who have attained enlightenment and no longer
need to reincarnate. Despite this freedom, they
choose to forsake nirvana and return to the
earthly sphere in order to alleviate the suffering
of others. This beautiful Yuan Dynasty sandstone
'bodhisattva' head is from a temple in the
'Sichuan Province'. It is likely that this fragment
was once attached to a body, the whole of which
probably stood in a niche in the temple. The
head is crowned in a magnificent, complex
headdress that reveals the figure’s prestigious
social stature. The full face, half-open eyes and
gentle smile are endearing and remind us of the
sacrifice this bodhisattva has made to assist
others. (AM)
- (DL.993)
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