The Other in the Buddhist Niche: The Formation and Disappearance of the Female Image in the Longmen Grotto Temples

This study examines the complex visual and spatial mechanisms of female representation in Chinese Buddhist cave art, with a particular focus on the Longmen Grottoes. As sacred architectural complexes, Buddhist caves are not only repositories of devotional images but also gendered spaces in which hierarchical social structures and religious forms of subjectivity are encoded. Women frequently appear in these visual programs—primarily in the role of donor figures—but their depiction is typically marked by marginal spatial placement, reduced scale, and stereotypical facial and bodily features. These visual strategies simultaneously render women visible and push them to a symbolic periphery, creating a dual process of representation and erasure. This research centers on the representation of women in Chinese Buddhist cave art, addressing a cutting-edge topic at the intersection of religious art and gender studies. The article engages in a comprehensive discussion of the mechanisms through which gender and power interact in Buddhist iconography. It combines the theory of alterity with the practice of Buddhist visual language to move beyond the traditional, simplified depiction of donor figures. The argument is presented through feminist critique and image analysis. Against the backdrop of a growing re-evaluation of female spiritual subjectivity and the increasing study of women's positions within non-Western visual traditions, this work offers a Chinese perspective on how women construct spaces of agency within traditional religious and patriarchal structures. It also contributes a cultural perspective to contemporary discussions on gender equality and religious diversity. The aim of this research is to analyze the visual representation of women in Chinese Buddhist art, with a special emphasis on cave art—particularly the Longmen Grottoes. The study seeks to explore how gender and power interact in Buddhist iconography and how female figures express their spiritual practices and subjectivity while situated within religious and social structures.

Buddhist cave art, Longmen Grottoes, Female patron, Gender and religion, Iconography, Visual subjectivity, Religious space, Patronage, Feminine representation, Otherness