The Buddha statues of the Northern Qi Dynasty in Qingzhou Museum

The Buddhist statues of the early Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) inevitably carried foreign characteristics, but in the 4th century, the facial features of the early Buddha statues began to be sinicized. By the late Northern Wei Dynasty (the second half of the 5th century-the beginning of the 6th century), the Buddhist statues had been completely sinicized with refined bones and wide belts. In 534 AD, the Northern Wei Dynasty split into the Eastern Wei (534-550) and the Western Wei (535-556), which were later replaced by the Northern Qi (550-577) and the Northern Zhou (557-581). In 581 AD, the Sui Dynasty unified the north. From the late Northern Wei Dynasty to the early Sui Dynasty, it was a time of extreme social turmoil. The rulers, out of the need for governance, and the public, out of the need for spiritual comfort, was also a period of great prosperity of Buddhism and Buddhist statue art. The Buddhist statues found in many areas of Shandong have a unique place in the history of ancient Chinese art. Among them, the artistic achievements of hundreds of Buddha statues with charming smiles found in the cellar of Longxing Temple in Qingzhou are the best.