Research On The Murals Of Journey To The West At The Buddhist Temple In Xinglong Mountain, Huan County, Gansu Province

The murals of Journey to the West were painted in the 25 th year of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing dynasty,which are located on the left and right walls of the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain,with 7 pieces on each wall,a total of 14 pieces.They are well-preserved with vivid colors,clearly identifiable characters,and distinctive features.The murals are one of the more episodic,large-scale,and well-preserved mural paintings ever found,which come with important reference value for the study of murals of Journey to the West in other areas,but the murals have not yet attracted enough attention in the academic world.The analysis,interpretation and comparative study of the murals of Journey to the West at the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain,which is based on rich cultural and historical image resources and high-definition investigation materials,mainly focuses on the following three points.Firstly,the paper focuses on interpretation of content of the murals of Journey to the West at the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain,speculating that the episodes of the left murals are "Tang Monk bids farewell to Emperor Tang Taizong","The monsters establish a inveracious Buddhist paradise","Sun Wukong transfers palm-leaf fan","Old Friends at Longevity Hill","Boqin asked Tang Monk to stay in Shuangcha mountain","Sun Wukong accepted Zhu Bajie in Yunzhan Cave"," Avalokitesvara gave Tang Monk the Incantation of the Golden Hoop ".It is assumed that the paintings on right wall are "Zhu Bajie and the Sha Monk fight in Liusha River"," Sun Wukong reformed his ways ","Defeat the Bull Demon King","Four sages test Zen heart","Meet the White-haired mouse monster","Black bear monster steals Buddhist robes","Master and apprentices succeeded".Secondly,the paper focuses on the relationship between the murals of Journey to the West at the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain and the novel,argues that there are both similarities and differences,and introduces identity codes,interpretation codes and cultural codes.The paper then compares the differences between mural narratives and fictional narratives,suggesting that the differences are mainly focused on the narrative,its mode,and its relationship to the recipients.Finally,the paper focuses on the similarities and differences between the murals of Journey to the West at the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain,and the murals of Journey to the West in other regions,as well as the engraved illustrations of Journey to the West,and speculates that the sources of murals of Journey to the West at the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain,were not limited to the murals of Journey to the West in a particular region or a particular version of the engraved illustrations of Journey to the West.The murals are combination of several versions of the engravings which are used as references and adding changes and modifications to appropriate to the Buddhist temple,interspersed with the painter’s ideas,creative consciousness,style,and even incorporating some local culture and customs,to create the style of the murals.The investigation and study of the murals of Journey to the West at the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain will provide references to clarify the content of murals of Journey to the West in other regions and when those were drawn,which helps to explore the links between the murals in various regions,provoke scholars to pay attention to the murals of Journey to the West at the Buddhist temple in Xinglong Mountain,and enrich to a certain extent the pictorial study of Journey to the West.