A Message from the Editor

Yin Jinan
Professor, Department of Art History
China Central Institute of Fine Arts


China's ancient civilization and art require the constant rediscovery and reflection of the current age. The work of contemporary archaeologists and art historians should bring about more extensive exchange. Through the Internet -- the most succinct and most rapid way to transmit academic scholarship - we may realize the possibilities of increased scholarly communication. Although providing recent reports from the field is the original intent of this undertaking, it is also the substance upon which to construct an active space for reflection.

In this issue, we take advantage of the current Chinese History Museum exhibition of Buddhist images from the Longxing Temple in Qingzhou, Shandong, to look back on the state of the field of Chinese Buddhist art over the last few years, in addition to discussing issues relevant to the Qingzhou Buddhist statuary. Accordingly, essays have been solicited from Zhang Zong (Institute of Religious Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) and Lang Tianyong (Department of Art History, China Central Institute of Fine Arts). Reports and discussions relating to the Buddhist art at Qingzhou appear in Wenwu 1998.2, including "Clearing-up of a Storage Pit of Buddhist Icons in the Longxing Temple at Qingzhou, Shandong," compiled by the Qingzhou Museum, and "Thoughts Regarding Qingzhou Archaeology of the Northern and Southern Dynasties Period," by Yang Hong (Archaeology Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences). Before long, Professor Su Bai (Archaeology Department, Beijing University) will publish an article in Wenwu entitled, "A Few Questions About the Buddhist Statues from the Pit at the Longxing Temple in Qingzhou."