The opening ceremony of “Zhejiang University Center for Buddhist Art” was held in Zhejiang University on 20th January, 2015 and concurrently an academic seminar on “Documents and Images: Studies on the History of Han-Tibetan and Multinational Buddhist Art” was conducted about the changes, integration and reorganization of Han-Tibetan and multinational Buddhist art during the Song, Xia, Tibetan Regime, Mongolia, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, thus creating the historical progress of Chinese civilization in the new period.

Han and Tibetan Buddhist art as well as multinational art, in history, is closely related to art theories, in particular, to Chinese art history, and to some marginal disciplines as well, e.g. Buddhist philosophy, historical language of western regions, Tibetan studies, Mongolian studies and Western Xia studies. The focus on art history, especially on Buddhist art history will be a popular research field, and the history of Han and Tibetan Buddhist art as well as multinational art is an epitome of the relationship between different nationalities in their ideology and culture. In addition, it reflects a key link in the formation of Chinese multi-nations between 10th and 14th centuries. The research based on the cultural relics and documents of that period can vividly show the formation of Chinese multinational civilization.

 “The Sixth International Academic Symposium on Tibetan Archeology and Art”, the first regular meeting in international Tibetan studies and art history recognized at home and abroad will be hosted by Zhejiang University from 16th to 21st October, 2015.