Qinghai and Southern Gansu Tour with UMAG Director, Yeung Chun-tong (Conducted in Cantonese)

Overview:
The itinerary will follow the footsteps of ancient Buddhist priests along the Silk Road in Qinghai and Southern Gansu provinces. It includes a visit to a Neolithic site at Liuwan where 1,500 tombs were discovered, yielding a large quantity of attractive painted pottery.

Founded in the Hongwu period (1368-1398), Qutan Si is a well-preserved architectural gem near Liuwan. It houses a number of exquisite Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Buddhist statues. Its wall paintings vividly depict the life of the Buddha Sakyamuni.

Ta’er Si and Labuleng Si are the greatest monasteries in Qinghai and Gansu for training Lama monks. Both have important collections of Tibetan Buddhist tangkas and sculptural works made of various materials.

The focal spots to be visited in Southern Gansu are the earliest Buddhist sites in China. They are the cave temples at Maijisan, Wushan and Binglingsi. Their history can be traced back to the late 4th century. The colourful stucco figures in these caves are of exceptional historic value for the study of Chinese Buddhist culture.

Conducted in Cantonese, this tour will be lead by our own Museum Director, Yeung Chun-tong (???). He is a graduate of the University of Hong Kong with B.A. and M.Phil. Degrees, both in Fine Arts. He is currently Honorary Associate Professor, teaching Chinese material cultures and museum studies in the Department. With over 30 years of experience and an in-depth knowledge of Chinese art and history, Director Yeung is an invaluable resource for our visit to the sites in this part of the Silk Road.