This presentation will examine the co-existence of Buddhist and Daoist deities at sculptural sites in Sichuan that reflect the pro-Daoist policy of Tang Xuanzong (r. 712-756). These images can be interpreted as a visual expression of the resurgence of the Huahu (Conversion of the Barbarians) ideology at that time. The speaker's argument will focus on iconographical and epigraphical evidence found at some of the major sites where paired images of Śākyamuni and Laojun (or Tianzun) as well as other Daoist/Buddhist compositions are particularly prominent.
