Mapping the lost cultural landscape of the Donghua Daoist Temple in Chongqing: a study of the importance ofcultural landscape for Daoist sites

Abstract

 Daoist architecture, as the cultural carrier of Daoism, has close relationship with cultural landscape which is a key element in the conservation of Daoism sites. However, very little scholarly attention has been paid to it, and obviously this is a threat to the integrity of Daoist architecture and also the intangible part behind it – the continuity of Daoism culture. To date, 86 properties with 5 trans-boundary properties and 1 delisted property on the World Heritage List have been included as cultural landscapes: of these only 3 were in the China, whilst none of them is related to Daoism.

The relatively small number of Chinese nomination is due partly to less concern to the cultural landscape during inscription in china, despite its great importance. Moreover, though some Daoism sites and architecture have been proved to have universal value and inscribed as world heritage, such as Mount Qingcheng and Dujiang yan Irrigation System, Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mount and Mount Sanqing shan National Park, some official presences have ignored the fact that they would fulfil the category of continuing landscape of outstanding universal value with cross reference to the associative cultural landscape category.

And the objective of this dissertation is to provide an understanding of the close relationship between Daoist architecture and cultural landscape which seems to have never been integrated with each other, and also the important role that cultural landscape plays in the survival and conservation of Daoist architecture, through a case study of a Daoism temple in Chongqing.