Chinese Buddhist Architecture

Chinese Culture--Chinese Buddhist Architecture

Buddhism reached China first through the silk road that had started as a great trading route in the mid of the Former Han period. Buddhist architecture was introduced into China with the introduction of Buddhist religion during the Han dynasty. The Buddhist architecture was considered as aesthetic and cultural.

Generally speaking, Buddhist architecture follows the imperial style. Chinese Buddhist architecture consists of temple, pagoda and grotto or stone cave.

A large Buddhist monastery normally has a front hall, housing the statue of a Bodhisattva followed by a great hall, housing the status of the Buddhas, Accommodations for the monks and the nuns are located at the two sides.

The main emphasis in the Chinese Buddhist architecture was given on symmetries and layered roofs.

As the centuries passed, however, the shape of these temples took new forms. In the second and third century, the structures were basically made out of wood. Their shape took the form of a tetragonal under the Song during the 10^th Century. The next-dynasty, the Tang, decided to have their towers shaped into an octagon of diagonal. The number of stories varied with each of the building. The height demised regularly from the base to the summit buy everything else remained the same.