Cao Zhen

caozhen0806@126.com

MORE than 100 ancient Guanyin statues and paintings on loan from Capital Museum in Beijing are on display at Shenzhen Museum at the newly opened The Wisdom of Achieving Inner Peace exhibition.

The exhibition is divided into Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism sections, featuring wood, porcelain and copper-gilt statues of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion.

The most striking piece is a qingbai (green-white) porcelain statue made in Jingdezhen during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and unearthed in Beijing in 1964. With a beaming and peaceful expression, the Guanyin is folded under a voluminous robe.

Qingbai ware, which is made with a white porcelain body and fired with a blue-green tinted glaze, is a type of Chinese porcelain that was produced during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. It was made in Jiangxi Province in southeastern China across several locations including Jingdezhen.

Guanyin exhibits in the style of Tibetan Buddhism are mostly copper-gilt green tara. Some bodhisattva statues bear striking Indian Gandhara art and Nepalese features.

Dates: Until Feb. 28, 2018

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Mondays

Venue: Shenzhen Museum, Block A, Civic Center, Futian District (福田区市民中心A区深圳博物馆新馆)

Metro: Line 2 or 3, Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit B