Ritual Accommodation: Buddhist Temples in 11th Century China

Abstract

The discourse on the relationship between architectural tectonics and function remains a popular topic. This paper attempts to take this architectural history discussion a step further to contribute to a broader understanding of 11th century China, when the post-Tang turmoil finally concluded with an unexpected peace settlement between the Liao and Song empires. Although the Southern Han is often perceived as the orthodox inheritor of the previous dynasty, the architectural remains of the Liao tell a different story. Compared to its counterpart the Song, Liao architecture is a more convincing representative of the Tang legacy. Furthermore, because of the continuous patronage of the Liao court, a renaissance of Buddhism ended the suppression of the religion that had lasted since the mid-9th century. Although the broken lineage of Buddhist teachings were restored and continued by eminent Indian monks, the old tradition was also morphed to meet the taste of the ruling class. Influenced by this religio-political phenomenon, the temple builders of the Liao took advantage of the two structural archetypes, the diantang and tingtang, to accommodate Buddhist statues and rituals. To support my argument I utilize three structurally homogenous buildings of the Liao: the nine-bay Mahariva Hall at the Fengguo Monastery, the seven-bay Main Hall at the Shanhua Monastery, and the five-bay Three Mahapurusa Hall at the Guangji Monastery. My paper proposes that Liao architecture evolved out of Tang precedents to accommodate new functional requirements present at the turn of the 11th century, inspiring craftsmen to think differently about architectural styles and techniques.