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Tun-huang
Tun-huang. A settlement in the desert area of north-western China that formed the terminal point for the Silk Road. A former Buddhist centre located on the borders of China, it flourished as a cosmopolitan frontier town between the 6th and 12th centuries ce and used much of its wealth to excavate the famed cave-temples, known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, and decorate them with stunning murals and statues. As well as Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism was also influential here during the 8th century when the region was under Tibetan rule. It was in one of the caves that the French scholar Paul Pelliot discovered a huge cache of manuscripts in many languages including Chinese, Tibetan and Uighur that had been concealed in the 9th century for safety during a period of civil unrest and then left undisturbed for centuries after. This priceless collection of manuscripts, which has thrown light on many aspects of contemporary central Asian and Chinese history and culture, was removed from Tun-huang by Pelliot and Sir Aurel Stein and divided between the British Library in London and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, with smaller holdings in Beijing and Copenhagen. The earliest examples of Chinese movable-type printing, as well as the earliest versions of many Buddhist texts, emerged from this find, making it an invaluable source for the history of Buddhism in China, India, and Tibet.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Tun-huang." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "Tun-huang." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Tunhuang.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "Tun-huang." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Tunhuang.html |
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Dunhuang
Dunhuang or Tunhwang , town, extreme NW Gansu prov., China. Crescent Lake, a noted tourist attraction surrounded by high sand dunes, is there. The Caves of the Thousand Buddhas (Mogao Caves) are at nearby Qianfodong. The town and its environs were long a gateway between central Asia and China, and the frescoes in the caves, painted from the 5th cent. to the 13th cent., show Indian, Greco-Roman, and Iranian influences. The caves, closed for centuries, were reopened in 1900. There Sir Aurel Stein, an English archaeologist, discovered a library of some 15,000 manuscripts, including the Diamond Sutra, reputed to be the first (AD 868) printed book. Only a few dozen of the hundreds of caves are open to tourists. |
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"Dunhuang." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dunhuang." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Dunhuang.html "Dunhuang." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Dunhuang.html |
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Dunhuang
Dunhuang, Kansu/China Kuazhou, Shazhou ‘Blazing Beacon’ since it was located at the end of the Great Wall with a line of fortified towers, constructed for protection against the Mongols to the north, extending further westwards. Nevertheless, it fell to the Mongols in 1227, became a part of Uyguristan in the 15th century, and only returned to China in 1723. It was important as a junction for two branches of the Silk Road and a major staging post. A very ancient city, it came under Chinese rule during the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220); its name was changed to Kuazhou in the 5th century and to Shazhou in 633.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Dunhuang." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Dunhuang." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Dunhuang.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Dunhuang." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Dunhuang.html |
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Tun-huang
Tun-huang (Dunhuang). Town in NW of Kansu province in China, a major staging post on the Silk Road trading route. Because it was the point of access to China for Buddhist missionaries travelling on the overland route from India, it became an important Buddhist centre. The major remains of this presence are in the Mo-kao (Mogao) Caves, also known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas, the oldest Buddhist shrines in China.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Tun-huang." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Tun-huang." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tunhuang.html JOHN BOWKER. "Tun-huang." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Tunhuang.html |
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Dunhuang
Dunhuang (town in NW China): see TAN-HUANG.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Dunhuang." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Dunhuang." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Dunhuang.html JOHN BOWKER. "Dunhuang." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Dunhuang.html |
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