After the fall of the Western Chin (265-316), Shantung became the site of territorial struggles between the Chieh, Hsien-pei, Ti, Han Chinese, and other ethnic groups. From 410 to 469, the area fell within the control of the Eastern Chin and Liu Sung dynasties of the south. This created a cultural connection between Shantung and the south, resulting in a shares style of Buddhist imagery. The period after the 469 incorporation of Shantung into the empire of the Northern Wei. During the middle period, Shantung continued to be influenced by the Southern Dynasties, while simultaneously absorbing elements from Hopei. During the later period, the number of Buddhist images increased precipitiously. In these images, human forms, Bodhisattva dress and accouterment, mandorla ornamentation, and even the design of the flanking Bodhisattva lotus pedestal spouted by a dragon all display a unique regional style. By the third decade of the sixth century, this Shantung style was fully mature. In terms of subject, early Shantung images show a close connection to those of Hopei, with a predominance of Maitreya and Avalokiteśvara representations. Depictions of Maitreya as a Buddha greatly outnumber representations of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, suggesting that belief in the area focused on Maitreya's descent from, rather than his ascent into, the Tushita Heaven.
