The Northern Wei Dynasty In Northern Henan Buddhist Statues

The present earliest Buddhist stele of Henan district is of A.D.500 by inscription in northern Henan province. In the thirties years from when to the end of the Northern Wei (420-534A.D.), these Buddhist steles and the Buddhist statues sculpted at Longmen caves are imported parts in the style transition from Yungang style to the central style, with Longmen caves' cutting and the impaction from the Southern Dynasties, the appearance of Buddhist steles in northern Henan ultimately formed its character. Based on these data, this dissertation traces to the source of the steles, probing into the difference of style transition between them and the Longmen caves, summarizing the regional characteristics mainly by analyzing their images.