In the Eastern Han dynasty, sculptures with Buddhist characteristics were carved in the cave tombs of Leshan, Sichuan. Production of esoteric Buddhist sculptures first started in Qi and Liang of the Southern Dynasties, and flourished in the Tang and Song. Stages of Mixed, Pure, and Late Esoteric Buddhism can be identified. As Esoteric Buddhism gradually went into decline in the central plains of China due to the An Lushan Rebellion, it entered Sichuan from the central plains, Yunnan, and Tibet. As esoteric and exoteric Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism commingled and interacted with the culture of that marginal region, religious traditions as well as groups of sculptures emerged, both with distinctive local characteristics. Many of the sculptures are full of imagination, capturing secular beauty, expressing diversity, richness, and uniqueness. Using sculptural inscriptions as well as relevant textual sources, this article is an attempt to identify developmental trends and dominant artistic features.
