Ways to Paradise: The Chinese Quest for Immortality

In Ways to Paradise, Michael Loewe examines Han art and iconography to uncover the attitudes of pre-Buddhist Chinese to death and the hereafter. He analyzes a silk painting, bronze mirrors, and representations of the Queen Mother of the West, set within contemporary literature and historical incidents. This provides a vivid picture of religious life and thought in early Chinese history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 302 pages
Publication date: 30 April 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

First published in 1979, in Ways to Paradise, Michael Loewe, an esteemed authority on Han China, delves into a vast array of archaeological evidence to unravel the prevailing attitudes of pre-Buddhist Chinese towards death and the afterlife. Dr. Loewe specifically focuses on three significant subjects within Han art and iconography: a newly discovered silk painting from Central China dating back to approximately 168 BC; the numerous bronze mirrors of the so-called TLV pattern, which gained popularity at the dawn of the Christian era and are particularly rich in cosmological symbolism; and the representations of the Queen Mother of the West, which emerged as a prominent motif in Chinese art from a century later. By contextualizing these artifacts within a framework of contemporary literature and historical incidents, Dr. Loewe paints a captivating and vivid portrait of religious life and thought during this early and intriguing period of Chinese history. This period laid the foundation for significant developments in Far Eastern Philosophy, religion, and art, making it a pivotal chapter in the nation's cultural heritage.

Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032268323