The Fan-hsiang-chüan （Handscroll of Buddhist Portraits） is a great masterpiece painted by Chang Sheng-wen of the kingdom of Ta-li, situated in present-day Yunnan. Apart from a section devoted to kings of Ta-li, together with portraits of 16 great princes and senior statesmen of the kingdom at the end of the scroll, the remainder of the painting consists of portraits of over 100 Buddhist Figures, including Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Nagarajas （dragon kings） and Lokapalas （guardian deities）. It is a collection of great richness and variety. Portraits associated with Kuan-yin account for more than one-seventh of the whole, illustrating the great importance attached to the cult of Kuan-yin in the kingdom of Ta-li. With these Kuan-yin portraits as its central focus, the present paper discusses the characteristics of the Kuan-yin cult in Ta-li and its relationship to Kuan-yin cults in the negihbouring countries of China, Tibet and Southeast Asia.
The portraits of Kuan-yin in the Fan-hsiang-chüan may be divided into three types as follows：-
1. Those possessing a local colouring identified with the kingdom of Ta-li： nos. 58, 86, 99 & 100.
2. Those portraying Kuan-yin of the non-esoteric （or "open"） sects of Buddhism： nos. 88-90, 91, 98, 101.
3. Those portraying Kuan-yin of the esoteric sect： nos. 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 102, 103, 105 & 112.
The preponderance of Kuan-yin portraits identified with the esoteric sect of Buddhism indicates the popularity of esoteric Buddhism in the kingdom of Ta-li.
These Kuan-yin portraits are an important resource for the study of the Kuan-yin cult in Ta-li, and at the same time accurately reflect the close relations between Ta-li and neighbouring countries. For example characteristics of Kuan-yin 88-90 and the form, clothing and adornment of Kuan-yin 99 are often seen in Southeast Asian art, and the title of portrait 100 is also influenced by the Southeast Asian cult of Maharaja-