Celebrated Chinese artist gifts hand-carved seal to Miami

President David Hodge accepts hand-carved gift from Chinese artist Qingyuan Hu

written by Trevor Jordan, university communications intern

Qingyuan Hu, celebrated Chinese artist and professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, gifted a 7 1/2” by 2 3/8” hand-carved soapstone seal to Miami University. The Miami University Art Museum will showcase the seal this spring.

All four sides of the piece display the Heart Sutra, a Mahayana Buddhist text in 260 traditional Chinese characters. The seal itself, in red, reads “Amitofo, Buddha of the Pure Land” in ancient Chinese.

Both the Chinese premier and the chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress have nationally recognized Hu’s seal carving and calligraphy. His art has been featured in many national museums, including the highly selective National Museum of China.

Hand-carved seal donated by Chinese artist.

Hu has gifted his hand-carved seals to several countries, including Japan, Singapore and North Korea. This is the first time he has donated one to a university in the United States.