Introduction
In the 6th year of the Kangxi reign (1667), under the benevolent directive of the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (1613-1688) and the newly enthroned Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661-1722), who had just assumed personal rule, the Qing court initiated an ambitious Buddhist cultural undertaking: the production of a deluxe gold-inked manuscript of the Kangyur (bka’ ’gyur) in Tibetan script. This monumental project, widely known as the “Tibetan Dragon Canon” (Longzangjing), required enormous financial resources and mobilized numerous master artisans and eminent monks. Completed over the course of two years, it was conceived as a devotional act to pray for the enduring stability of the imperial realm and the flourishing of imperial virtue, while also serving to consolidate the political and religious alliance between the Manchu and Mongol elites.
This special exhibition seeks to move beyond the conventional display format that isolates individual folios and scripture protecting boards. For the first time at the Northern Branch of the National Palace Museum, the Tibetan Dragon Canon is presented in its entirety together with its complete set of mounting components. The display is further enriched by recent technical examinations, material analyses, and comparative studies conducted by museum specialists. By shifting the interpretive framework from that of a textual artifact to that of a “total work of art,” the exhibition invites visitors to engage in a layered deconstruction of this unparalleled masterpiece.
From the solemn gold-inked sutra text on indigo-dyed paper to the scripture protecting boards intricately painted with mandalas; from the richly embroidered yellow satin sutra wrappers to the vividly colored five-hued sutra curtains, every detail exemplifies the consummate craftsmanship of the early Qing imperial workshops. The exhibition also brings together related works, including imperially commissioned Buddhist scriptures from the Ming inner court, as well as Qing dynasty productions such as the Collection of Various Mantras and Sūtras (Zhupin Jizhoujing), the Qianlong Kangyur, and Manchu-language Buddhist canons of comparable format. Through these objects, it traces the transmission and transformation of imperial religious devotion across dynasties and linguistic traditions.
This exhibition is both a dialogue between imperial authority and devout faith, and a visual feast that transcends more than three centuries, inviting viewers to reexamine the pinnacle of craftsmanship achieved during a flourishing age.