The floral decorative patterns on the lintel of Cave 10 are decorated with animal and plant decorative patterns and patterns throughout the Yungang caves, occupying almost one-seventh of the space. Among them, the most decorated patterns are blue dragon, white tiger, red bird, and black basalt, especially in the second phase of the cave. These four are regarded by the Han people as the four gods in the sky and are called the “Four Spirits” or the Four Gods. It is said that there are 40,000 of them distributed in the east, west, south and north of the sky, playing the role of defining the four directions and symbolizing auspiciousness. Animal and plant patterns occupy a very important position in the decorative art of Yungang Grottoes.
For example, the edge carvings on the lintels of Cave 10 to Cave 12 highlight the high-relief suzaku, white deer, lotus, and transformed boy on the multi-directional continuous and symmetrical honeysuckle relief belt. This decorative art can be said to be a national A new creation of style.
From the perspective of decorative themes, the most important ones are lotus patterns and entwining plant patterns, which have a great influence on the decorative patterns of Chinese descendants. The plant pattern of lotus branches is a decoration that emerged in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Grottoes in the middle period of Yungang were often decorated with trees. That is because Sakyamuni attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, so some Buddhas have Bodhi trees carved on their heads that look like shades and canopies.
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