Facheng

CHINA, Sichuan; Tang dynasty

Facheng, whose original family name was Yang, was a monk and painter from Shu (present day Sichuan).
According to Records of Temples and Pagodas, one day, Yi’er, the 11-year-old attendant of the nun Wei, informed her that he saw a Bodhisattva in the dwelling place. Ashes were spread on the ground and large footprints that were several feet in length were revealed . Wei then invited local painters to depict the image, but the resulting paintings were unsatisfactory. Eventually, Facheng came and worked on the image for ten years, producing a painting consisting of 15 scrolls. A statue of the Bodhisattva was later sculpted based on Facheng’s depiction.
The Bodhisattva statue featured 242 heads stacked one on top of another like a tower, with arms stretched out like vines. Three scrolls from the original were acquired by Liu Qishi, and later presented to Emperor Xuanzong (712–756), who gave them to Gao Lishi. Duplicates of the painting were also kept at Miaoji Temple in Sichuan. The record of the painting’s transmission was also documented in Overview of Painting.