Creating a sacred identity for rebuilding the Guilin Xi Qinglin Temple
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Abstract
When people discuss Chinese Buddhist temples, upon the styles and images of Buddhist temples in the mainland, buildings as Buddhist Cultural identity’s representation appear to their perception. However, the landscape environment that also shapes the sacred identity of temples has long been ignored. One thing that has been forgotten is the multicultural China has developed through the improvement of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Its cultural identity
is integrated into all aspects of traditional Chinese cultures. As a result, the development of Chinese Buddhist temple landscape has stalled and can be presented in a certain "General style" in the landscape of Chinese Buddhist temples from the past to the present; these "General styles" are also demonstrated in the landscape of Confucian and Taoist temples. The identity of Chinese Buddhism is different from other countries, and it has been developed through improving the original Buddhism. Under cultural aesthetics, Chinese regard hidden meanings as an intangible wisdom, and the tangible form becomes a "weakness". Therefore, the researcher found that the tangible and intangible connection in the Buddhist temples was broken; therefore, this is also the reason why the Chinese Buddhist temple landscape is called "lost identity". This research aims to create a sacred identity for the Chinese Buddhist temple landscape with the help of the rebuilding of Xi Qinglin Temple in Guilin. By clarifying the connection between Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism in Chinese Buddhism and local culture, the "meaning" and "experience" of temple landscapes under the historical and cultural context will strengthen the sacred identity of local Buddhist temples, which may be of great significance for the rebuilding project of XI Qinglin Temple and the promotion of Chinese Buddhist culture.
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