Tuoba

Datong

With the efforts of Emperors Dao Wu, Ming Yuan and Tai Wu, the Toha Wei in 439 A.D subdued the last tribal state in Liangzhou, thus ending separatism and unifying Northern China. Hence a fairly peaceful and stable era began. Much immigration to Pingcheng and large-scale construction in the city brought about the prosperity of the capital, making it the political, economic and cultural centre of Northern China until 494 A.D, when the capital was moved to Luoyang.

The success of the Tobas in ruling the northern China was not due to their numbers, which were relatively small, but to their adoption of the Chinese traditional style of administration, especially during the reign of Emporor Xiao Wen, who was an enlightened sovereign with new ideas. This Dynasty appears to have been a period of very active development, particularly in agricultural irrigation and trade, as well as a cultural high water mark. During this time Buddhism spread rapidly. The Yungang Buddhist Caves, as the greatest legacy of the period, have become a lasting testimony to this development.

Although Buddhism first reached China from India in the first century during the Han Dynasty, it was not until the following period, 400 years of turmoil and disunity commonly called the "Three Kingdoms and Sixteen Dynasties", that Buddihism flourished. In the Han Dynasty people had only the vaguest idea of this foreign faith and they paid the same honours to the Buddha as they did to native Chinese deities such as Lao Zi, the founder of Taoism. Despite continuing wars and social instability during the Sixteen Dynasties period, the Buddhist teachings of personal salvation and nirvana became popular among the lower classes.

Originally the Toba tribe had no knowledge of Buddhism. Only after they had settled the north China plain did this nomadic tribe take note of Buddhism. According to historical records, Emperor Dao Wu was fond of Confucianism, interested in Taoism and but also well versed in Buddhism too. When he occupied parts of Hebei and Shandong, "where there were monks he always respected them and ordered his soldiers not to disturb them. " He also issued an edict allowing the spread of Buddhism across the central China plain and permitting the construction of Buddhist pagodas, monasteries and cells for the monks at Pingcheng. Fa Guo, an eminent monk, was appointed the administrator of the Buddhist church. He declared, "The Emperor is sagacious and fond of Buddhism so he is certainly the living Buddha.". The chapter on Buddhism and Daoism in the Wei History recorded that the idea of "The Emperor, as the living Buddha" was adopted by the Buddhist church of the Northern Wei Dynasty, thus assuring and strengthening the status of Buddhism as the state religion. Following his father, Emperor Ming Yuan respected both Buddhism and Taoism. Buddhist statues were made throughout the country. Besides this, he also instructed the monks to guide the life of the people. In 439 A.D. Emperor Tai Wu subdued Liangzhou, a territory centered in Western Gansu which included Dunhuang. Thus not only did the Toba finally gain complete control of North China, but the eastward spread of Buddhism was also accelerated.

When the Toba tribe rose to power in the central China plain, they found it difficult to rule the Han Chinese, for their tribal ways were relatively backward both economically and culturally. So they had to find an effective ideological way to administer the other ethnic groups. As Weishu or 'The history of Northern Wei' records, the early emperors of the Northern Wei respected both Buddhism and Taoism. Buddhist shrines appeared throughout the country, with the lavish patronage of the Toba Wei. This trend gradually undermined the domination of the tribe Wei. In times of distress monasteries and convents offered an attractive means of escape from conscription, but too large a class of unproductive monks and nuns, not to mention the land they controlled, created a social and economic problem. Emperor Tai Wu Di, fearing a threat to his own authority, ordered sweeping persecutions of Buddhists in 446 A.D. This was the first of the four main persecutions which the Buddhist faith suffered in China.

Emperor Wen Cheng Di, the successor of Emperor Tai Wu Di, relaxed the rigid laws of religious suppression soon after he came to the throne. The direct result of this was the construction of the Yungang complex. Yungang became an important Buddhist centre because of its proximity to the capital and its recognized sacredness. Early texts mention that the fifth century Toba Wei Emperor, Ming Yuan Di, went to pray at Mount Wuzhou seven times, even before the caves were begun. A Buddhist monk, Tan Yao from Liangzhou, supposedly persuaded Emperor Wen Cheng Di to initiate the cave temple project, and Tan Yao was appointed the supervisor. The 'Northern Wei History', or Weishu, records that "five caves were excavated in the stone wall hewn out of the mountain ridge of the Wuzhou fortress near the capital,with one Buddha statue carved in each cave. The tallest was 70 chih ( 54 ft.) and the others 60 chih ( 46 ft. ) in height. The carvings were of exceptional excellence and unparalleled throughout the world."

As the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Pingcheng concentrated various talents, 30,000 families, both local officials and peasants, and 3000 monks were moved from Liangzhou. In addition, 100,000 people came or were transplanted from such regions as Shandong, Changan and Northeast China, where the economy and culture were comparatively more developed. With this strongly Buddhist population came, it is logical to assume, eminent monks and artisans. The imperial family supported the construction of the Cave Complex with labour,funds and materials. ,p> In the successive dynasties of the Eastern Wei,the Northern Qi and the early Tang, the city of Pingcheng was called Hengan. In 641 A.D, the 15th year of the Zhen Guan period of the Tang Era local officials had some of the caves at Yungang repaired. The colossi of the Amitabha Buddha and his two attendants in the back chamber of Cave 3 were probably sculpted at that time as well. The prosperous status of Yungang was described in a historical book, the Compendium of Buddhist Records, in this way, "At the east end of the valley is a Buddhist Monastery, Lingyansi, and at the west end a nunnery. The caves were carved to such a extent that each can hold a thousand people... The steep cliff is a honeycomb of caves and niches extending for a great distance. As for the Buddhist images, how many there are nobody knows exactly. "

In the tenth century, part of Northern China fell to the Khitans, who eventually established the Liao Dynasty with a western capital in the area of Datong. During the reign of Emperors Xin Zhong and Dao Zhong, the imperial family ordered further construction work to be done at Yungang. Ten large monasteries were built clinging to the facade of the caves. They were Tongle, Lingyan, Jingchong, Zhenguo, Huguo, Tiangong, Chongfu, Tongzi, Huayan and Doushuai. In accordance with this magnificant wooden temple complex, more than 1000 large and small Buddhist images were repaired. The Jurchens, who set up the Jin Dynasty, attacked and occupied Datong in 1122 and burned all ten monasteries. In the Jin Dynasty, a monk named Hui Gong collected donations and had a ninebay pavilion in Lingyan Monastery reconstructed.

the end of the Ming Dynasty

1949 revolution