A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE BUDDHIST CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND ITS REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE
YUE Hui1, LI Fan2, WANG Bin3
1. School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;
2. Department of Tourism, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China;
3. School of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
Abstract：This research shows that the introduction of Buddhism to Guangdong happened as early as the Han Dynasty and its evolution was closely related to transportation network and regional development. In terms of time, Buddhism was firstly introduced to Pearl River Delta region. It then emerged in the north, northeast of Guangdong, and at last Chaoshan region in the southeast of Guangdong. In terms of regional distribution, Buddhism in Guangdong Province displays a pattern of three regions:Cantonese, Hakka and Fulao Buddhist cultural regions, centering around Guangzhou, Shaoguan and Chaozhou respectively showing considerable differences such as the number and ratio of Buddhists and the scale of temples among three regions. In terms of Buddhist cultural landscapes, these regions possess landscapes of regional characteristics, which are reflected in the Buddhist architecture style, language, music and folklore. This thesis probes into those elements and described them in detail. In Cantonese region, the Buddhist architecture style was influenced Indian Buddist architecture in the early period but then gradually developed in the direction of secularization. The Buddhist music here shared the same root with Cantonese music in Guangzhou and the folk activities took on the characteristics of commodity economy. In Hakka region, the architecture inherited the tradition from Han people, lacking bright colors and rich forms. With reference to language, this region tended to use the vocabulary from local Hakka dialect. Moreover, those cultural landscapes and their evolution are the proof of transport improvement, regional development and geographical difference in Guangdong. They affect not only the expansion of Buddhism, but also the integration of Buddhist culture and local culture.
岳辉, 李凡, 王彬. 广东佛教文化景观及其地域分异初探[J]. 人文地理, 2011, 26(6): 45-50.
YUE Hui, LI Fan, WANG Bin. A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE BUDDHIST CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND ITS REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2011, 26(6): 45-50.
