Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

There have been three major religions during China’s history: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.

Confucius lived some two and a half thousand years ago and his thought relates to public life and individual morality. Daoism, similarly old and also philosophical in its origins, is concerned with harmony and the spiritual in Nature. Buddhism was introduced from India in the first few centuries AD and has been widely practised as a popular religion.

The three systems were practised alongside each other with imperial rituals devoted to each. Confucian texts formed the basis of the education system and were central to political practice until the twentieth century. Daoism and Buddhism also endured, and early printed texts of both survive. Buddhism is evident in many works of painting and sculpture, as can be seen in those on display here.

Opening from Exegeses on the Book of Mencius, with government imprint of AD 1201-1204, The works of Mencius (371-289 BC?) were important texts in Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian philosophy.. Detail from the Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist teaching, written in Sanskrit c. AD 400, This Chinese translation is dated 868 and is over five metres long.. This diagram from a book published in 1613 shows the taiji (supreme ultimate) that represents the un.

Landscape scene of Huang Shan (Mount Huang).

Buddhist figures

Seated figure of a bodhisattva (EA1956.1376) Standing figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin (EA1999.32) Seated Buddhist figure (EA1999.40) Dehua ware figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin (EA1956.3285)

Standing figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin (EA1961.151) Seated figure of a bodhisattva (EA1971.18) Seated figure of the Buddhist disciple Lohan (EAX.1431) Fahua ware figure of a bodhisattva (EAX.1747)

Temple sculpture

Seated figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin (EA1982.2) Figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin (EA1999.96)

Sketch of seated figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin, 1200-1300, China (Museum no: EA1982.2) with part. Detail from mural painting of Wutaishan at Dunhuang (cave 61), Shanxi province.

Architectural ceramics

Roof ridge tile in the form of a seated Buddhist figure (EAX.3775) Roof ornament in the form of a figure riding a hen (EAX.1632) Roof tile in the form of a horse (EAX.1744)