Iconic art in cradle of Chinese culture

Gandhara, an ancient region spanning what is now northwest Pakistan and parts of east Afghanistan, was historically a crossroads linking India, Persia and other cultural centers as faraway as ancient Greece.

Gandhara Buddhist art — which originated in the Kushan Empire, a Central Asian state founded by nomads originally from China's Gansu province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region — is a unique art style that blends Greco-Persian and Buddhist influences.

Buddhist statues were among the major art forms influenced by the ancient Greek and Roman sculpture arts, according to the museum expert. "Statue making was not the common practice in the early stage of Buddhism," he said. "It became popular after being influenced by the Western sculpture arts."

Many Buddhist statues can be found along the route of Buddhism's spread in China, like the Mogao Grottoes in Gansu, Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi and Longmen Grottoes in Henan.

"In Yungang Grottoes, the Gandhara or even Greek elements are visible on many Buddha statues, like the curly hair and details of clothes," he added.

"After the communication and integration among different cultures that lasted for thousands of years, Shanxi Museum deems it an important mission to continue the cultural exchanges in the context of a modern era," said the expert. The "Classical and Glory" Ancient Greek and Roman Sculpture Arts Exhibition is the latest move in this effort.

Prior to the exhibition's opening, Shanxi Museum hosted a seminar on ancient Greek and Roman sculpture arts. With attending experts' views shared on the social media, the seminar was aimed to enhance visitors' understanding of the exhibits.

Liu Yan contributed to this story.