The Pure Land Art is an artistic genre that depicts the Buddhist belief about the Pure Land. In Buddhism, Pure Land is contrasted with the Defiled Land (Ch. huitu 穢土) and refers to the pure and adorned land on which buddhas and bodhisattvas dwell. In Kucha Buddhism, we could distinguish four types of Pure Lands based on their content and implied doctrines: the Maitreyan Pure Land, the Western Pure Land, the Eastern Pure Land and the Huayan Pure Land. The Pure Land belief took root in Kucha from very early on and was mainly associated with the theme of the Ascension of Maitreya. The artistic depiction shows strong indigenous features. Later, the Chinese Pure Land beliefs also spread to Kucha, thanks to the influence of the Tang Empire (618–907) in Kucha as well as the immigration of Han soldiers and people after the establishment of the Anxi Protectorate 安西大都護府. The beliefs transmitted during this time mainly bore on the Western Pure Land, the Eastern Pure Land and the Huayan Pure Land. Their artistic depictions are aligned with the Chinese depictions. The introduction of the Pure Land art also exerted influences on the Buddhist arts in Kucha in general. After the 10th century, the Uyghur people controlled Kucha and converted to Buddhism. In this period, the Pure Land belief remained an integral part of Uyghur Buddhism, with the Huayan Pure Land being the most influential, though other Pure Land beliefs, such as Maitreya’s Ascension, were also present. Their artistic depictions retain the Chinese influence but also reflect the indigenous artistic tradition.
