The Baisha Mural Some 16 kilometers north of Lijiang City locates the Baisha Village. Many buildings there were built in Ming and Qing Dynasties, with a history of more than 300 years. That period was a era of ecomomic development in Lijiang. Many people from other places came to Lijiang, which resulted the multinational culture. Many murals were painted in some houses of Baisha Village. Nowadays they have been well preserved as cultural relics. The authors of these mural paintings had come from different nations, including the local Naxi Dongba painters; the Taoist painter Zhang from the Central Plain; Tibetan Lama artist Guchang; Han painters Ma Xiaoxian and Li Zeng; and many other artists who were unknown to the public.
Unlike other murals, in Baisha Village Mural the various lifelike portraits are not only Buddhist images but also ordinary people such as criminals, bureaucrats, tourists and executioners. Many of the scenes and subject matters are drawn from daily life-people are shown singing, , dancing horse-riding, weaving and casting iron. The painters used different methods of portrayal within the different elements of the fresco, such as flesh, garments, jewelry, weapons and many other components. The style of these true-life frescos is rural and unconstrained; the colors are strong and have sharp contrast but are also harmonious. The Baisha Mural fully demonstrates the exquisite 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 the Lijiang Mural not only the precious treasure of art, but also strong proof of national solidarity and an important source of information for research on national religions, arts and history. |
