飞天
飞天，是敦煌壁画中的经典艺术形象。在佛教中，飞天一般指八部护法中的乾闼婆和紧那罗，被视为佛国世界的香音、歌舞之神。飞天，早在印度阿旃陀等石窟中已出现，传入中国后，成为一种极富民族特色的艺术形象，遍布所有石窟。仅敦煌莫高窟内，现共保存从十六国时期到元代历代所绘飞天6000余身，呈现出各个时期的不同风格和特点。
敦煌石窟飞天表现形式多样，姿态各异。以初唐莫高窟第321窟中的“双飞天”最为著名，故又称此窟为“飞天洞”。这些飞天或绘于经变画中，或绘于龛楣中。他们两个一组，一前一后或一左一右，结伴飘行。向下的飞天迎风而降，裙带飞舞；向上的飞天姿态优雅，缓缓而上。他们前后呼应，构成统一和谐的整体，具有很强的艺术感染力。此外，西千佛洞第9窟主室西壁南端还存有以白描手法绘制的飞天多身，其造型简练，线条流畅，比例协调，轻盈飘逸，分别手持长笛、芦笙、琵琶、箜篌等乐器，是西千佛洞壁画的代表作品。
飞天已成为深入人心的经典形象，1983年中国国家广播电视总局举办第三届全国优秀电视剧评奖活动时，将该奖正式命名为“中国电视剧飞天奖”。“飞天奖”是中国电视剧唯一的政府奖，也是中国国内创办时间最早、历史最悠久的电视剧奖项。
Apsaras
Apsara (flying celestial nymph) is a classic artistic figure found in the murals of Dunhuang. In Buddhism, it generally refers to Gandharva and Kiṁnara, who are regarded as the deities of music and dance in the Buddhist paradise. The image of apsaras appeared as early as the rock caves of Ajanta in India, and after being introduced to China, it evolved into an art form rich in national characteristics, becoming prevalent across all rock caves. In the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang alone, over 6,000 apsaras have been preserved, spanning the period from the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), showcasing the various styles and characteristics of different historical periods.
The apsaras in the Dunhuang Caves display a diverse range of forms and postures, among which the Double Apsaras in Cave 321 of the Mogao Caves is the most famous. This cave is also known as the Apsara Cave. These apsaras can be found painted within the transformation murals or within the niches. They appear in pairs, either one in front and the other behind or one to the left and the other to the right, gracefully floating together. The descending apsara was depicted as going down against the wind, her skirt flowing, while the ascending one has an elegant posture, rising slowly. Their mutual correspondence creates a unified, harmonious whole, exuding a strong artistic appeal. Still, more apsaras were drawn with a fine line style at the southern end of the western wall of the main hall in Cave 9 of the Western Thousand-Buddha Caves. These figures are characterized by their simple yet fluid shapes and well proportioned but light, ethereal quality, each holding musical instruments such as the flute, lusheng (a type of reed instrument), pipa, or konghou (a type of harp). This work is representative of the murals in the Western Thousand-Buddha Caves.
The apsara has become a deeply ingrained classic image in Chinese culture. In 1983, during the 3rd National Excellent TV Drama Awards organized by the National Radio and Television Administration of China, the award was officially named the "Feitian (Apsara) Award for Chinese TV Dramas". It is the only official award for Chinese TV dramas as well as the earliest, longest- running TV drama award in China.
