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Li Guangxiu
Qing folk sculptor from Sichuan who led his pupils in modelling the five hundred arhats of the Qiongzhu Temple in Kunming
In an open-air carving yard before a lake and hills, a heap of rough white stone blocks rises at the left, a mat holds a mallet and a row of chisels, unfinished horse figures stand at both sides, a small seated figure sits on a table, and a mason sits among the blocks.
Also known as Li Guangxiu, Sichuan sculptor
- Roles
- Sculptors
Li Guangxiu was a folk sculptor in clay from Sichuan, usually said to come from Hechuan. When the Qiongzhu Temple outside Kunming was restored in the Guangxu reign, roughly 1883 to 1890, he and his pupils spent several years modelling its five hundred arhats, set out in the Fanyin and Tiantai Lai halls and along the walls of the main hall. The painted figures break with formula: each arhat has his own face, expression and pose, many drawn from everyday life, and they are counted among the most notable temple sculpture of the Qing.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; made the Qiongzhu Temple arhats c. 1883–1890