Auspicious Tantra of All-Reaching Union

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Front cover of Auspicious Tantra of All-Reaching Union: Supplementary Explanations volume 5

The Auspicious Tantra of All-Reaching Union (Tangut: 𘀄𘓄𗄊𗫡𗋈𘜼𗰜𗺓 Gyu̱²-rjur¹ Źji²-njɨ² Ngwu²-phjo̱² Mər²-twẹ²,[note 1] translated into Chinese as Jíxiáng Biànzhì Kǒuhé Běnxù 吉祥遍至口和本續[note 2]) is the title of a set of nine volumes of Buddhist printed texts written in the Tangut language and script which was discovered in the ruins of the Baisigou Square Pagoda in Helan County, Ningxia, Northwest China in 1991 after it had been illegally blown up.[1]

Printed during the Western Xia (1038–1227), circa 1139–1193, it is thought to be the earliest extant example of a book printed using wooden movable type.[2] The book is currently held at the Ningxia Institute of Archaeology in Yinchuan,[3] and because of its historical significance it has been included in the list of 64 Chinese cultural relics forbidden to be exhibited abroad that was issued by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in 2002.[4]


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  1. ^ He Lulu 贺璐璐 (2008-04-04). "404" 古塔废墟下的宝藏 [Precious sutras beneath the ruins of an ancient pagoda] (in Chinese). China National Radio. Retrieved 2011-09-16. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  2. ^ "Kingdom of Mystery (2)". China Daily. 21 December 2004. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
  3. ^ Du Jianlu (杜建录) (2007). 中国藏西夏文献概论 [Overview of Tangut Documents in Chinese Collections]. Western Xia Studies (西夏学) (in Chinese) (2): 17–33.
  4. ^ 西夏精品文物展在山西受热捧 [Fine cultural relics from the Western Xia receive a warm welcome when exhibited in Shanxi], State Administration of Cultural Heritage, 4 November 2010, archived from the original on 2011-07-16