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Tiangong Louge in Eastern Pure Land Illustrations You & Zhu

behind the Sanmen. The Hall and the Sanmen The tiangong louge in the Pure Land
have a nine-ridge roof with double eaves, with illustrations, albeit called “tiangong”
an apparently retracted hip. The other (Heavenly Palace), was actually built based
individual buildings in the group are elegant on real-world Buddhist temples. Changes
and strong, close to the standard set in the that occurred in tiangong louge in the Eastern
Fashi. The building groups are highly Healing Master Pure Land illustrations from
clustered, with extended central axes, the High Tang era to the Xixia dynasty have
exhibiting the Song-dynasty style of buildings. sensitively communicated the
transformations in Buddhist temples during
5. CONCLUSION this period of time.
After Buddhism was introduced to China,
the“tiangong louge”was a form of buildings ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
based on the blueprint of the Tang and Song None.
buildings and incorporated the notion of
“Heaven”in traditional Chinese culture. The FUNDING
tiangong louge in the Eastern Healing Master This study belongs to the General Program of
Pure Land illustrations was painted according the National Natural Science Foundation of
to the Sutra of the Master of Healing, with China “Research, Annotation and
reference to the composition in the Western Explanation on Curtains and Recesses of
Pure Land illustrations, especially the open Xiaomuzuo works in the Yingzaofashi”
foreground-type of groupings. But the aims of (51878177) and to the Major Program of the
the Sutra of the Master of Healing are to National Social Science Fund of China
eliminate the sufferings of sentient beings in “Comprehensive Research on Heritages
the real world, heal diseases, remove Yingzaofashi of Curtains and Recesses in the
th
th
calamities, and extend life, which have had a 4 –12 Centuries.”
profound influence on the design of tiangong
louge in Sutra illustrations. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Viewed from the elements of individual None.
buildings that constitute tiangong louge, the
Eastern Healing Master of the Pure Land REFERENCES
illustration contains five individual elements [1] He Z. Heavenly Gate, Heavenly Palace,
in the Fashi, except the “tortoise-head and Tusita Heaven—On the
porches”: hall body, teahouses, corner towers, iconographical origin of Maitreya's Tusita
wing rooms, corridors, only their uses are Heaven in Mogao Cave 275 [J]. Dunhuang
slightly different. In addition, pavilions, Research, 2016, 2016(1): 1–11.
pagodas, Sanmen, bell towers, scripture [2] The Earth Store Sutra and Bhaisajyaguru
towers, balconies, and round-bridge stairways, Sutra. Translated and annotated by Xu Y.
are also included, which aremissing in 2019, Zhonghua Book Company, Beijing.
tiangong louge in the Fashi. They reflect the [3] Huang J, Zhu Y. Fuzhu in the architecture
of the Han Dynasty // Wang G, He C, Li J.
individual building elements in the real-world Transactions on the history of Chinese
Buddhist temples from the Wei (220‒265) architecture: Volume 13. 2016, China
and Jin (265‒420) dynasties to the early Song Construction Industry Publishing, Beijing,
dynasty (960‒1279). 223–243.
Viewed from the tiangong louge group, [4] Yang Y. Research on the styles and themes
it can be divided into two categories and four of the Grotto Frescoes in the Sui Dynasty
types: open foreground type with one-rise in Dunhuang. 2017, Gansu Education
courtyard, open foreground type with two- Press, Lanzhou.
rise courtyard, closed foreground type with [5] Li J. Study on Suoyi Defensive Grottoes in
one-rise courtyard, and closed foreground Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. 2018,
type with two-rise courtyard. Gansu Education Press, Lanzhou.

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