Shih-shan Susan Huang T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor Department of Transnational Asian Studies, Rice University Public lecture This lecture investigates the "Buddhist Book Roads," exploring the dynamic transnational spread of Buddhist print culture through a wealth of illustrated books discovered in archaeological sites,...
Shih-shan Susan Huang T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor Department of Transnational Asian Studies, Rice University Public lecture This lecture investigates the "Buddhist Book Roads," exploring the dynamic transnational spread of Buddhist print culture through a wealth of illustrated books discovered in archaeological sites, statues, and museums. Moving beyond viewing Buddhist woodcuts as static relics, this talk examines their holistic impact within multicultural contexts and as objects transmitted across vast networks both within and beyond Asia. Examples highlight this journey: •The 868 Diamond Sutra from Dunhuang, the world's earliest dated printed book.•Twelfth-to-fourteenth century Lotus Sutra art from Hangzhou, extensively circulated throughoutJapan, Korea, and Central Asia.•Printed fragments from Turfan, illuminating elite Uighur migration to Mongol-Yuan China.•The popular 15th-century Beijing Dharani Sutra, sought by female donors for its protective andhealing properties.Moreover, the lecture will demonstrate how Buddhist woodblock images transcended Asian borders, reaching European audiences by the seventeenth century. Four copperplate etchings in a 1670 Dutch travel book, directly copied from Avatamsaka Sutra frontispieces, serve as a prime example. These illustrations mimicked traditional Chinese woodblock prints and calligraphic brushstrokes, shaping European perceptions of Chinese art, religion, and culture. Please use the west entrance (back doors). The main entrance to the museum will be closed.
