Walking into the Department of Asian Art on the second floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, what immediately catches the eye is a massive, colorful mural that fills the entire main wall -- Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo). This masterpiece originates from Guangsheng Temple in Shanxi, which is also a filming location for the game Black Myth: Wukong. The mural is breathtaking, drawing viewers into its depths and prompting the question: how did it cross oceans to end up in this museum?
The history of Chinese murals dates back to the Han Dynasty and flourished during the Wei, Jin, Tang, and Song Dynasties. However, most murals from Tang dynasty temples have been largely destroyed throughout history, and few remnants of Tang murals survive today. Murals from the Yuan dynasty are even rarer. The name, Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru, refers to a transformation of the Sutra of the Medicine Buddha, indicating expressing the sutra in another form.
According to the museum, the mural was created around the Yuan dynasty (circa 1319 AD), measuring 15.12 meters in length and 7.52 meters in height, with an area of over 100 square meters. In this mural, the Medicine Buddha, adorned in a red robe, sits on a lotus throne, surrounded by various deities, including two Bodhisattvas seated on thrones bearing symbols of the sun and moon. Twelve warriors flank the Medicine Buddha, symbolizing his vow to relieve suffering and save all beings. Even after enduring over 700 years of change, the mural remains vibrant and exquisite, rich in Eastern charm.
In 1929, this massive mural was fragmented and removed piece by piece from the temple walls, numbered, boxed, and shipped to the United States, where it was reassembled on the walls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, becoming the museum's prized possession. Upon closer inspection, traces of the mural's cutting and reassembly can still be seen. During that time in China, warlords battled, and the populace suffered; monks dispersed, and temples fell into disrepair. A relic trader from the U.S. took an interest in the mural, collaborating with local gentry to seek its purchase.
Unable to resist persuasion, the temple monks ultimately felt that trading the artwork for money to repair their temple was a "beneficial act," leading to the sale for 1,600 silver dollars. This transaction was recorded on a stone tablet inscribed with "Preface to the Reconstruction of Lower Temple" that still exists in the rear hall of Guangsheng Temple. After the mural was taken, Guangsheng Temple's lower temple was left with bare walls.
During those years, countless national treasures left China by similar means, from Dunhuang to temples across the country, including statues, murals, and scriptures. When Chinese people see these lost treasures abroad, they are not only astonished by their exquisite beauty but are also compelled to ponder: when will these treasures, lost amidst turmoil, be able to "escape foreign museums" and return to their homeland?
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