Baisha Mural
Overview
Description
Baisha is a small village 10km north of Lijiang. Although the traditional houses do not look very impressive, Baisha was the historical capital of the Naxi Kingdom and is still a good place to have a glance at the Naxi culture by visiting the famous Baisha Mural. The mural was painted by people from Han, Tibetan and Naxi ethnic groups who were invited to do so by Herdsman Mu during the Ming Dynasty. They cover a total area of 139.22 square meters on 55 walls of Dabaoji Palace, Liuli Hall, Dabao Pavilion and Daque Palace in Laihe. The largest is 2.07 meters by 4.48 meters and contains 600 figures.
The originality and figures of the mural painting reflect the different religious cultures and artistic forms of Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi Dongba religion, as developed in a Naxi School. Each painting includes at least 100 portraits, but perspective is used very well, and the close, middle and establishing images are clear. The various lifelike portraits are not only Buddha but also ordinary people such as bureaucrats, criminals, tourists and executioners. Many of the scenes and subject matters are drawn from daily life - people shown fishing, riding horses, weaving, dancing and casting iron. The style of these true-life murals is rural and unconstrained; the colors are strong and have intense contrast but are also unified. Baisha Mural demonstrates the superb artistic skills, outstanding creativity and rich imaginations of these excellent craftsmen. The vivid and exact figures, flowing lines, well-defined colors and powerful effects of the exquisite details make it not only the rare treasure of art, but also forceful proof of national solidarity and an important source for research on national religions, arts and history.
Features
Known as the historical capital of the Naxi Kingdom Enjoy the different religious cultures and artistic forms of Buddhism by seeing originality and figures of the mural painting
