Xuejing Sun

My research interest lies at the intersection of religion, art, and environment, with a particular focus on the Buddhist material culture of middle period China (eighth to fifteenth centuries). My current book project centers on the arhat grottoes situated within the mountainous landscapes of southern China, where natural caves were carved with the images of saintly Buddhist disciples between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. Employing a multidisciplinary framework drawing from art history, religious studies, archaeology, and anthropology, my project contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of pre-modern East Asian artistic and religious practices surrounding arhats, legendary Buddhist disciples venerated as Dharma protectors and soteriological saviors. Building upon foundational scholarship on arhat cult, as well as the rich materials of arhat paintings crafted in China, Korea, and Japan, it further illuminates the multifaceted role these cliffside arhat carvings and grottoes played in constituting monastic institutions, facilitating rituals, and negotiating monastic identities on the ground. This project also extends into the contemporary world, examining the transformation of these arhat grottoes into cultural heritage sites and the shifting meanings of these spaces across time.

I hold a certificate in Visual Anthropology, exploring how the sensory language of ethnographic film can deepen scholarly research beyond the written word. I am passionate about bringing to light the memories and voices embedded in ancient art and sacred landscapes as inspirations for a more sustainable future.

• B.A. Peking University
• M.A. Peking University
• Ph.D. University of Southern California