Institut für Kunstgeschichte Ostasiens The Rock Carvings of Feilai Peak in Hangzhou and the Spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Jiangnan During the Song and Yuan Dynasties

Feilai Peak is located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on the southeastern coast of China, and features 102 Buddhist niche carvings. The Yuan Dynasty carvings form the main body of the Feilai Peak sculptures, commissioned by officials including Yang Rinchen skyabs, a Tangut from the Western Xia who served under the Yuan. The Feilai Peak carvings are among the largest extant Tibetan Buddhist artistic sites in inland China. The sculptures exhibit diverse artistic styles, including Han Chinese, Tibetan, Tangut, and Mongol influences. This lecture introduces the rock carvings of Feilai Peak in Hangzhou and the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Jiangnan during the 13th century, while analyzing the conflicts and integration between Han-Tibetan multicultural interactions during this process.