THE BUDDHISH ART OF CHINA-中国佛教艺术

Theravada sutras written in Pali language spread southward to Sri Lanka， Thailand，Burma and Indonesia. Mahayana sutras spread northward to Central Asia， China， Koreaand Japan; these Sanskrit scriptures were first translated into Central Asian languages，and then into Chinese. The Chinese Tripitaka is the most complete collection of extantBuddhist scriptures; its influence reached beyond China to Korea and Japan. During theseventh century AD Buddhism spread from India to Tibet. As sutras were systematicallytranslated into the local language， Tibetan Buddhism came into being gradually. The relics of Buddhism at different stages （except for Primeval Buddhism） have allbeen found in China. The Theravada Tripitaka scriptures （from Pali， meaning "threebaskets"） spread to the region in southwest China's Yunnan Province inhabited by theTai people， and had been translated into the ancient Tai language. The Sarvastivadinschool of Theravada Buddhism spread to the northwestern Xinjiang， leading to thecutting of the Kizil Thousand-Buddha Grottoes from the fourth to the tenth centuryin the ancient state of Kucha （located near present Kuche and Baicheng）. The ruinspreserved in Yunnan and Xinjiang， though not very notable， reflect the spread ofTheravada Buddhism in China.