##千年“变脸”：乐山大佛见证中国石窟演变与文化交流
**中新社成都8月20日电** 题：上千年来，乐山大佛为何一直像川剧在“变脸”？——专访西南民族大学民族博物馆馆长雷玉华
坐落于四川凌云山栖鸾峰下的乐山大佛，通高71米，是世界现存最大的一尊摩崖石像。这座始建于唐代开元元年(713年)，历经近百年才最终完成的巨型佛像，不仅是四川乃至中国石窟艺术的杰出代表，更以其独特的“变脸”历程，见证了中国石窟发展演变和中外文化交流的轨迹。
西南民族大学民族博物馆馆长雷玉华日前接受中新社“东西问”专访，对乐山大佛的“变脸”现象进行了解读。
雷玉华指出，佛教石窟起源于印度，最初以洞窟形式出现，包含礼拜窟和僧房窟。随着佛教传入中国，石窟形式也发生了变化。中国佛教石窟的礼拜窟以壁画取代了印度石窟的雕刻装饰，僧房窟则逐渐消失。
“川渝地区气候潮湿，山洞不适宜居住，人们将石窟改造为摩崖造像龛，僧房窟几乎绝迹。”雷玉华解释道，乐山大佛的“变脸”正是这种适应环境和文化融合的结果。
此外，中国石窟的造像风格也随着时代和地域的变化而演变。北魏时期，石窟造像以皇帝为原型塑造佛像，唐代则以武则天为原型塑造卢舍那大佛。这种“变脸”体现了中国石窟造像的本土化特征，也反映了不同时代和民族的审美观念。
“四川在南北朝时期就开始建寺造像，唐宋时期成都成为中国重要的佛教文化中心。”雷玉华表示，川渝地区石窟的兴盛，将中国大规模连续开窟造像的时间向后延续了五百年，也让四川成为名副其实的“大佛的王国”。
乐山大佛的“变脸”不仅是艺术风格的演变，更体现了中国石窟在传承与创新的过程中，不断融合外来文化，并最终形成独具特色的中国石窟文化的历程。它也为我们理解中国石窟的文化价值和历史意义提供了新的视角。
英语如下：
##Leshan Giant Buddha “Face-Changing”: The Cultural Code of a Millennial Grotto
**Keywords:** Grotto, Face-changing, Civilization
## Millennial “Face-Changing”: Leshan Giant Buddha Witnesses the Evolution and Cultural Exchange of Chinese Grottoes
**Chengdu, August 20 (CNS)** – Why has the Leshan Giant Buddha been “face-changing” like Sichuan Opera for thousands of years? – An interview with Lei Yu-hua, curator of the Nationalities Museum of Southwest University.
Located at the foot of Lingyun Mountain in Sichuan, the Leshan Giant Buddha, standing 71 meters tall, is the largest existing cliff-side statue in the world.This colossal Buddha statue, built in the first year of the Kaiyuan era (713 AD) of the Tang Dynasty and completed after nearly a century, is not only an outstanding representative of Sichuan and even Chinese grotto art, butalso with its unique “face-changing” process, it has witnessed the development and evolution of Chinese grottoes and the trajectory of cultural exchange between China and the world.
Lei Yu-hua, curator of the Nationalities Museum of Southwest University, recently accepted an interview with CNS’s “East and West”program, providing insights into the “face-changing” phenomenon of the Leshan Giant Buddha.
Lei Yu-hua pointed out that Buddhist grottoes originated in India, initially appearing in the form of caves, including worship caves and monk chambers. As Buddhism spread to China, the form of grottoes also changed. The worship caves of Chinese Buddhist grottoes replaced the sculptural decorations of Indian grottoes with murals, while the monk chambers gradually disappeared.
“The climate in the Sichuan and Chongqing region is humid, and caves are not suitable for living, so people transformed grottoes into cliff-side niches for statues, and monk chambers almost disappeared,” Lei Yu-hua explained, adding that the “face-changing” of the Leshan Giant Buddha is a result of this adaptation to the environment and cultural integration.
Furthermore, the sculptural style of Chinese grottoes has evolved with changes in time and region. During the Northern WeiDynasty, grotto statues were modeled after emperors, while the Tang Dynasty modeled the Luoshena Buddha after Empress Wu Zetian. This “face-changing” reflects the localization of Chinese grotto statues and also reflects the aesthetic concepts of different eras and ethnicities.
“Sichuan began building temples and statues duringthe Northern and Southern Dynasties, and Chengdu became an important center of Buddhist culture in China during the Tang and Song Dynasties,” Lei Yu-hua said. The prosperity of grottoes in the Sichuan and Chongqing region extended the time of large-scale continuous grotto construction in China by five hundred years, makingSichuan a veritable “kingdom of giant Buddhas.”
The “face-changing” of the Leshan Giant Buddha is not only an evolution of artistic style but also reflects the process of Chinese grottoes, in the process of inheritance and innovation, continuously integrating foreign cultures and ultimately forming a unique Chinese grotto culture.It also provides us with a new perspective for understanding the cultural value and historical significance of Chinese grottoes.
【来源】http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2024/08-20/10272036.shtml
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