THE RELIGIOUS ART OF ANCIENT YUNNAN: RE-EXAMINING ACUOYE GUANYIN

Abstract

This thesis spotlights one of Yunnan’s most important Buddhist deities – Acuoye Guanyin. This bodhisattva, also known as the Luck of Yunnan, is unique to the Yunnan region. Acuoye Guanyin played a pivotal role in the political rise of the Nanzhao Kingdom and continued to serve as a tutelary deity throughout the 600 years where both Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms dominated the southwestern regions. By revisiting and re-examining the existing primary sources, as well as uncovering lesser known figures of Acuoye Guanyin in public museums and new discoveries in private collections, this thesis concludes with two propositions: (1) the iconography of Acuoye Guanyin is not restricted only to one single style/form; and (2) figures of Acuoye Guanyin are not only made during Dali Kingdom but also during the earlier Nanzhao period, and as such, the dating of many existing Acuoye Guanyin figures in museums need to be reviewed.