Apsaras

Apsara (flying celestial nymph) is a classic artistic figure found in the murals of Dunhuang. In Buddhism, it generally refers to Gandharva and Ki?nara, who are regarded as the deities of music and dance in the Buddhist paradise. The image of apsaras appeared as early as the rock caves of Ajanta in India, and after being introduced to China, it evolved into an art form rich in national characteristics, becoming prevalent across all rock caves. In the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang alone, over 6,000 apsaras have been preserved, spanning the period from the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), showcasing the various styles and characteristics of different historical periods.

The apsaras in the Dunhuang Caves display a diverse range of forms and postures, among which the Double Apsaras in Cave 321 of the Mogao Caves is the most famous. This cave is also known as the Apsara Cave. These apsaras can be found painted within the transformation murals or within the niches. They appear in pairs, either one in front and the other behind or one to the left and the other to the right, gracefully floating together. The descending apsara was depicted as going down against the wind, her skirt flowing, while the ascending one has an elegant posture, rising slowly. Their mutual correspondence creates a unified, harmonious whole, exuding a strong artistic appeal. Still, more apsaras were drawn with a fine line style at the southern end of the western wall of the main hall in Cave 9 of the Western Thousand-Buddha Caves. These figures are characterized by their simple yet fluid shapes and well proportioned but light, ethereal quality, each holding musical instruments such as the flute, lusheng (a type of reed instrument), pipa, or konghou (a type of harp). This work is representative of the murals in the Western Thousand-Buddha Caves.

The apsara has become a deeply ingrained classic image in Chinese culture. In 1983, during the 3rd National Excellent TV Drama Awards organized by the National Radio and Television Administration of China, the award was officially named the "Feitian (Apsara) Award for Chinese TV Dramas". It is the only official award for Chinese TV dramas as well as the earliest, longest- running TV drama award in China.

飛天

飛天，是敦煌壁畫中的經典藝術形象。在佛教中，飛天一般指八部護法中的乾闥婆和緊那羅，被視為佛國世界的香音、歌舞之神。飛天，早在印度阿旃陀等石窟中已出現，傳入中國后，成為一種極富民族特色的藝術形象，遍布所有石窟。僅敦煌莫高窟內，現共保存從十六國時期到元代歷代所繪飛天6000余身，呈現出各個時期的不同風格和特點。

敦煌石窟飛天表現形式多樣，姿態各異。以初唐莫高窟第321窟中的“雙飛天”最為著名，故又稱此窟為“飛天洞”。這些飛天或繪于經變畫中，或繪于龕楣中。他們兩個一組，一前一后或一左一右，結伴飄行。向下的飛天迎風而降，裙帶飛舞；向上的飛天姿態優雅，緩緩而上。他們前后呼應，構成統一和諧的整體，具有很強的藝術感染力。此外，西千佛洞第9窟主室西壁南端還存有以白描手法繪制的飛天多身，其造型簡練，線條流暢，比例協調，輕盈飄逸，分別手持長笛、蘆笙、琵琶、箜篌等樂器，是西千佛洞壁畫的代表作品。

飛天已成為深入人心的經典形象，1983年中國國家廣播電視總局舉辦第三屆全國優秀電視劇評獎活動時，將該獎正式命名為“中國電視劇飛天獎”?！帮w天獎”是中國電視劇唯一的政府獎，也是中國國內創辦時間最早、歷史最悠久的電視劇獎項。