Fang Shanqing

CHINA; Ming dynasty

Fang Shanqing was a sculptor who is known to have sculpted and painted Buddha statues at Yongning Temple in Nurgan (present day Khabarovsk Krai, Russia).
According to the General Records of Jilin, the Stele of Building Yongning Temple by Emperor’s Order had an inscription reading “Sculptor and Painter Fang Shanqing,” thus proving that Fang was among the hundreds of people, including Chinese and other ethnic minority groups, who contributed to the construction of the temple. The inscriptions on the front were in Chinese, while Jurchen and Mongolian languages were found on the back. The left and right sides read the Six-Syllable Mantra “om mani padme hum,” which was engraved in all four languages, Chinese, Jurchen, Mongolian, and Tibetan. The stele is considered a rare and valuable historical relic.