(Redirected from Chinese pagodas)
:''For the
landmark in
Birmingham, see
Chinese Pagoda.''
'Chinese Pagodas' () are a traditional part of
Chinese architecture, introduced from
India along with
Buddhism as protective structures for Buddhist relics.
[1] In addition to religious use, since ancient times Chinese pagodas have been praised for the spectacular views which they offer, and many famous poems in
Chinese history attest to the joy of scaling pagodas.
History
The modern
pagoda is an evolution of the Indian
stupa, a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated.
[2] The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms as details specific to different regions are incorporated into the overall design.
The Chinese word for stupa, ''ta'', is an abbreviated translation (from ''tapo'') of the
Sanskrit Stupa. The origins of the word Pagoda are obscure. In modern usage, the word Stupa and Pagoda refer to the same thing.
[The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture By John Kieschnick. Published 2003. Princeton University Press . ISBN 0691096767. pg 31]
The Pagoda's original purpose was to house relics and scared writings.
[3] This purpose was popularized due to the efforts of
Buddhist missionaries, pilgrims, rulers, and ordinary devotees to seek out, distribute, and extol Buddhist relics.
The earliest base-structure type for Chinese pagodas were circular-base and square-base. By the 10th century the Chinese began to build octagonal-base pagoda towers. The highest Chinese pagoda from the pre-modern age is the Liaodi Pagoda of Kaiyuan Monastery, Dingxian, Hebei province, completed in the year 1055 AD under Emperor Renzong of Song and standing at a total height of 84 m (275 ft). The pagoda was built of brick and stone and has the classic gradual tiered eaves marking each story, and has a section of its walls partially open at one side, which allows one to view the interior of the pagoda, the inner column shaped as another pagoda inside, and the thickness of the pagoda's walls.[4]
Symbolism
Han iconography is noticeable in Chinese Pagoda architecture. The image of the Shakyamuni Buddha in the ''abhaya mudra'' is also noticeable in some Pagodas. Buddhist iconography can be observed throughout the pagoda symbolism.[5]
In an article on Buddhist elements in Han art, Wu Hung suggests that in these tomba, Buddhist iconography was so well incorporated into native Chinese traditions that a uniques system of symbolism had been developed.[6]
Construction Materials
Wood
The 40 m tall Songyue Pagoda of 523 AD, the oldest existent stone pagoda in China.
From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties (~25-589) pagodas were mostly built of wood, as were other ancient Chinese structures. Wooden pagodas are highly resistant to earthquakes, however many have burnt down, and wood is also prone to both natural rot and insect infestation.
Examples of wooden pagodas:
★ White Horse Pagoda at White Horse Temple, Luoyang. China's first pagoda.
★ Futuci Pagoda in Xuzhou, built in the Three Kingdoms period (~220-265).
★ Many of the pagodas in ''Stories About Buddhist Temples in Luoyang'', a Northern Wei text, were wooden.
The literature of subsequent eras also provides evidence of the domination of wooden pagoda construction in this period. The famous Tang Dynasty poet, Du Mu, once wrote:
:''480 Buddhist temples of the Southern Dynasties,''
:''uncountable towers and pagodas stand in the misty rain.''
The oldest extant fully-wooden pagoda standing in China today is the Yingxian Pagoda of Yingxian County, Shanxi Province, built in the 11th century during the Song Dynasty/Liao Dynasty (refer to Architecture section in Song Dynasty).
Transition to brick and stone
During the Northern Wei and Sui dynasties (386-618) experiments began with the construction of brick and stone pagodas. Even at the end of the Sui, however, wood was still the most common material. For example, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty (reigned 581-604) once issued a decree for all counties and prefectures to build pagodas to a set of standard designs, however since they were all built of wood none have survived.
Brick
The earliest extant brick pagoda is the 40 m tall pagoda at Songyue Temple, Dengfeng Country, Henan.[7] This curved, circle-based pagoda was built in 523 during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and has survived for 15 centuries.
Stone
The earliest large-scale stone pagoda is a Four Gates Pagoda at Licheng, Shandong, built in 611 during the Sui Dynasty. Like the Songyue Pagoda, it also features a spire at its top, and is built in the pavilion style.
Brick and stone
One of the earliest brick and stone pagodas was a three-storey construction built in the (first) Jin Dynasty (265-420), by Wang Jun of Xiangyang. However, it is now destroyed.
Brick and stone
Brick and stone dominated Tang, Song, Liao and Jin Dynasty pagoda construction. An example of such would be the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (652 AD), built during the early Tang Dynasty. The Procelain Pagoda of Nanjing has been one of the most famous brick and stone pagoda in China throughout history.
De-emphasis over time
Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai follows the Song Dynasty multi-courtyard design, and does not feature a pagoda. The main hall is at the center.
Pagodas, in keeping with the tradition of the White Horse Temple, were generally placed in the center of temples until the Sui and Tang dynasties. During the Tang, the importance of the main hall was elevated and the pagoda was moved beside the hall, or out of the temple compound altogether. In the early Tang, DÃ oxuÄn wrote a ''Standard Design for Buddhist Temple Construction'' in which the main hall replaced the pagoda as the center of the temple.
The design of temples was also influenced by the use of traditional Chinese residences as shrines, after they were philanthropically donated by the wealthy or the pious. In such pre-configured spaces, building a central pagoda might not have been either desirable or possible.
Yonghe Temple, a prominent example of a Chinese palace converted for use as a Buddhist temple.
In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Chan (Zen) sect developed a new 'seven part structure' for temples. The seven parts - the Buddha hall, dharma hall, monks' quarters, depository, gate, pure land hall and toilet facilities - completely exclude pagodas, and can be seen to represent the final triumph of the traditional Chinese palace/courtyard system over the original central-pagoda tradition established 1000 years earlier by the White Horse Temple in 67. Although they were built outside of the main temple itself, large pagodas in the tradition of the past were still built. This includes the two Ming Dynasty pagodas of Famen Temple and the Chongwen Pagoda in Jingyang of Shaanxi Province.
A prominent, later example of converting a palace to a temple is Beijing's Yonghe Temple, which was the residence of Yongzheng Emperor before he ascended the throne. It was donated for use as a lamasery after his death in 1735.
See also
★ Chinese architecture
★ Architecture of Song Dynasty
★ Pagodas in China
Notes
1. World Encyclopedia. Oxford University Press. Published 1980.
2. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press
3. A World History of Architecture By Michael W. Fazio, Marian Moffett, Lawrence Wodehouse. Published 2003. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0071417516.
4. Steinhardt, 387.
5. The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture By John Kieschnick. Published 2003. Princeton University Press . ISBN 0691096767. page 83
6. The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture By John Kieschnick. Published 2003. Princeton University Press . ISBN 0691096767. page 84
7. Steinhardt, 383.
References
★ Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman (1997). ''Liao Architecture''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
External links
★ The Bei-Hai (Beijing), The Flower Pagoda (Guangdong), The Great Gander Pagoda (Xian), The White Pagoda (Liaoyang)
★ With a chapter about China and paragraphs about many pagoda’s
★ The Songyue Pagoda at China.org.cn
★ Chinese pagoda gallery (211 pics)
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