Focusing on the stone sarcophagus of Wirkak (494-579 CE) and his wife Wiyusi, a Sogdian couple descended from Central Asia, this talk discusses the ways in which the funerary monument in Wirkak’s underground tomb is rendered like a Buddhist pagoda that evokes the vision of a heavenly palace. In the popular teaching of Mahayana Buddhism, magnificent palaces in heavens await the arrival of the souls of meritorious people after their death. The belief in Heavenly Palaces (tiangong or tiantang in Chinese) reached a pinnacle in China during the 6th century, which was largely attributable to the cult of the Maitreya Bodhisattva, a deity believed to inhabit a palace in the Tusita heaven. The belief also found compelling expressions in pictorial art and architecture, particularly in the construction of pagodas. However, the idea of the Heaven Palaces as the destiny for the deceased souls caused considerable tension with the native funerary tradition in China, which maintained the significance of a dwelling in the subterranean domain known as the Yellow Springs. The talk shows how the Wirkak sarcophagus presents an ingenious solution to this tension, exemplifying the effort of Sogdian elites in reconciling disparate ideas about the afterlife in Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Confucianism. Speaker Bio: Jin Xu is an assistant professor of art history and Asian studies at Vassar College. He received his PhD in art history at the University of Chicago. His research has been focusing on religious and cultural exchanges on the Silk Road as reflected in Chinese art during the 6th and 7th centuries. Currently he is writing a book manuscript titled “Beyond Boundaries: Sogdian Sarcophagi and the Art of an Immigrant Community in Early Medieval China.” Accessibility Statement: If you require an accommodation in order to fully participate in this event, please contact fbillie@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.