Manuscripts from Khara-khoto collected in Russia include a plethora of rich and color-ful Buddhist scriptures with illustrations. The scriptures are vividly expressed with enhanced visual effects, and have had active effects on the promotion and spread of Buddhism. This paper aims to examine and study the illustrations on the Sutra of Filial Piety from the rem-nant manuscripts found in Khara-khoto and are collected in Russia. Comparing various ver-sions of the sutra from the Library Cave in Dunhuang Mogao Caves with the Khara-khoto version, it is found that Buddhist scriptures from various regions had impacted the Western Xia empire. Further analysis is then conducted on the illustrations in the Sutra of Filial Piety unearthed in Khara-khoto, with comparisons made with Dunhuang murals, silk paintings and Dazu rock relief carvings to find how the illustrations on the Khara-khoto version differ from the other versions and also the notable features observed. Reasons behind the popularity with the translated Sutra of Filial Piety in the Tangut script and prints with illustrations during Emperor Renzong’s reign are then analyzed.
