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CTL 3535 Searching for Cultural Identity: Reflections upon Cultural Politics and Policy
Group Project: Chinese-ness in Architecture: Chi Lin Nunnery
Li Qiushi
40056548
Xiong Yixue
40056837
Zhou Sirui
40056813
Schwab, Anna S.
40056905
Rowe, Eric D.
40053050
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Eric, Anna, Bear, Sarry, Meddy Professor Ching CTL3535 16 December 2013
Chinese-ness in Architecture: Chi Lin Nunnery
Introduction Being colonized by another tremendously different culture for 100 years does change many aspects of the original society, either ideologically or physically speaking. However, people in Hong Kong still find trails of Chinese culture that can be traced back to the origin of time in almost every parts of their life. Temples, for example, play a very important role in Hong Kong residents’ everyday life. The aim of our group project is to examine how “Chinese identity” is depicted and interpreted, by and in Hong Kong temples. To be specific, we focus on the architecture aspect of one particular temple: the Tang-style Chi Lin Nunnery. We look at both its overall structure and specific details, analyzing why and how these make up its Chinese architecture characteristics. Also, special emphasis is paid on the significant statues in the nunnery, for they show the sinicization and localization of a foreign religion in a cultural context. The tradition has it that in ancient times, Hong Kong used to be a fishery harbor city, and fishermen used to pray to gods to protect and bless them during fishing (邓, 2008). Nowadays, temples here serve as crucial centers and platforms for religious, cultural and tourist activities; numerous local residents and international guests visit them every day. Because of the coexistence of multiple local religions, temples in Hong Kong can be categorized into several types
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concerning the major gods they worship. Some mainly worship important sainted figures in traditional Chinese historic stories, including Guan Yu and Che Kung. Some others worship Taoist gods and local legends like Wong Tai Sin. Since Buddhism has always been the foremost and most popular religion in Asia, there’re also many temples that mainly worship significant Buddhist figures. Our target temple Chi Lin Nunnery is one of them. Temples are famous not only for their rich religious treasure and historic-relic collections, but also for their unique and significant architecture. Temple architecture differs according to factors like distinct space choices, cultures, religions and times. Thus by examining the architecture of a temple, you can tell how it interprets its identity in a certain context. Most temples in Hong Kong were built during the late Qing Dynasty (邓, 2008) or even later, thus it wouldn’t be surprising that some temples are using rebar and concrete as their building materials and the design of the temple appears to be similar to that in the Qing Dynasty. However, Chi Lin Nunnery is another story. Its architecture is using “Tang Dynasty Style” as its guidelines. Chi Lin Nunnery locates in Diamond Hill in Kowloon. Its funders are Master Jue-Yi and Master Wei-An. It was first built in 1934, and officially registered as a non-profit charity in 1963. Due to Hong Kong government’s urban reconstruction plans of Diamond Hill areas since the 1980s, the Chi Lin Nunnery Organization worked together with communities of caring people to rebuild the nunnery site. The overall design of the present Chi Lin Nunnery is based on the picture shown above. It is a huge fresco found in the No. 172 grotto of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. It is called “Amitayur-dhyana Sutra”, in English, “To view the boundless life in Buddhist pure land” (志蓮 淨 苑, 2004). The fresco shows ancient people’s imagination of a beautiful afterworld in Buddhism. With the guide of the fresco and the efforts of many talented designers, the
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exquisitely built nunnery was completed in 2000. All the buildings within the site adopt the traditional Tang wooden structure and use materials like wood, stone and tiles. What’s more, the pillars, beams and Dougong (bucket-shaped arches) are mortised together, which spare the use of any nails (志蓮淨苑, 2004). The statues in the nunnery also accord with the figures in the fresco. More interesting details would be further explored in later parts. Being “Tang” is actually our decisive reason of choosing Chi Lin Nunnery as the object. Tang Dynasty (618 A.D. – 907 A.D.) is one of the most glorious dynasties of China. Politics, culture, economy and people’s wellbeing all developed rapidly and reached a whole new level. It’s a time of progress, openness and confidence; and these elements can be found in many aspects including architecture, which greatly influence surrounding Asian countries and regions like Japan and Korea. Different from Song Dynasty— when there’re numerous wars—and dynasties like Yuan and Qing, when the Han people live under the rule of those so-called “Barbarians”, Tang is a dynasty of, for and by the Han people. Thus it has become an icon and a complex rather than just a part of history. There’re so many “Chinatowns” all over the world and all of them use the term “Tang people (唐人)”. For most Chinese people, Tang Dynasty still remains the most significant period in their heart. Thus adopting a Tang-style in architecture may well have some ideological and psychological influence on the visitors.
The Whole Structure Chi Lin Nunnery has a very standard Tang dynasty’s structure. Tourists from Japan may wonder why Chi Lin Nunnery is so alike compared to Buddhist temples in Japan. Those from Mainland China may also ask why it’s not that “Chinese”. Actually, its Tang architectural style originated in China about 1400 years ago. People nowadays are unfamiliar with the Tang
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dynasty’s structural style, and that’s exactly why the Chi Lin Nunnery is so special and important. Facing south, surrounded by mountains, the whole compound was located at a high elevation, which aided it in avoiding many disasters like flood or typhoon. Excluding the north side, it has gates at all three other cardinal directions. The whole structure was built from wood, without a single nail or metal. All wood was from Canada and was processed in Guangdong province. Because of the material it used, it’s different from other temples that allowing people to offer incense. Tourist can pray by kowtow or by meditating. The whole idea of this temple’s rebuilding originated from the wall paintings in Mogao grottos, in which a Tang dynasty temple was drawn in detail (Chen, 2002). Generally speaking, it has three zones, and each zone has its own special functions and architectures. The first zone includes Shan Gate, the lotus pool, Hall of Heavenly King, bell tower and drum tower. Shan Gate represents the light that guides people to the nirvana, and the Hall of Heavenly King was the first hall of Chi Lin Nunnery, representing the escorting of Buddha. The second zone includes Mahavira Hall, Yaoshi Hall, Avalokitesvara Hall, and other Buddhist suffers’ halls. Among them, the Mahavira Hall is the most important hall of the whole temple, and also located at the center. People pray for peace and health in Yaoshi Hall, and in Avalokitesvara Hall, people host Buddhist rites. The third zone includes Chai Tong, the Depositary of Buddhist Texts, Meditation Hall, Monks Dorm and the Wanfo Tower. Wanfo Tower is the second important facilities in this temple, second to the Mahavira Hall. It is said that after the past of the famous Hong Kong singer Leslie Cheung, his ashes was located in the Wanfo Tower, which also brought reputation to Chi Lin Nunnery (Zhang, 2003). Many Buddhist texts are also stored in the tower.
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People may ask how the whole structure can be stable enough with only wood. Also, the difference between Tang dynasty style and Japan style may also confuse people. Firstly, in Tang dynasty, people had already invented bracket system, by which the wood structure can avoid from earthquake or other damage. Even though it counters such serious earthquake, the wall may fall down but the whole structure would still stay thanks to the bracket system (Zhang, 2010). Meanwhile, if we compare Chi Lin Nunnery with Japanese temples, we may find many coherent places. That’s because since 219 B.C, Japan had interactions with the Chinese mainland, resulting in Japanese adoption of some Chinese culture, including architecture. Up to Tang dynasty, Japan sent many citizens to China to learn and exchange ideas and culture. Since then, the influence of Tang even stays more stable in Japan, instead in China; so many people start to claim that the real Tang lies in Japan (Qinghui, 2012). It’s true, since China has only a few temple built in Tang Style, like Hualin temple, and most of other temples are deeply influenced by Tibetan style and Chinese own garden style. The rarity of the Tang style in Chinese architecture is what makes the Chi Lin Nunnery so unique. Details When one visits the Chi Lin Nunnery, you’re taken aback by the sheer size of the place and how beautiful and ornate it is overall. That same beauty and ornateness is also what encompasses its very Chinese nature, especially when looking at the symbols and meanings behind them. Many of the symbols relate to centuries-old Chinese mythology that has been alive throughout the dynasties that aren’t inherently Buddhist, although quite a few of the figures ad objects within the Chi Lin Nunnery will obviously be linked to Buddhism. Quite a few details have their root in Tang dynasty building style as found in the Dunhuang wall paintings in the
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Magao grottoes, which with its moniker of “the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas” show how inherently “Chinese” Buddhism and its symbols are . One design choice steeped in Chinese mythology is the use of the Nine Dragons. The dragon Pu Lao (蒲牢) is known to have liked to roar, so he is shown on the bells in the temple, as well as the door handles on the front of the temple. Another dragon, Gong Fu, likes rain and his head is used as the spouts for the pond in the first temple courtyard. The last dragon to mention, Chi Wen (螭吻), is mounted on either end of the roof ridge. With its proclivity to swallow things, it’s meant to swallow evil spirits from both sides. It’s also believed to protect from floods, typhoons, and fire, with the first two being quite appropriate due to Hong Kong’s location and the last due to the building being primarily constructed of wood. Using wood as a construction material itself is a detail that is has its origin in Chinese mythology. In the myth of the “Three August Ones”, Youchao (有巢) imparted the knowledge of building and invented the house. He was said to have invented the house “like that of a bird’s nest” and built the house out of wood. This attributed to wood being used as the primary source of building material for buildings and structures throughout Chinese history, spanning into the modern age with the Chi Lin Nunnery. The Chi Lin Nunnery, despite being primarily Buddhist, has a few design features that are based in Taoism. Under the incense burner in the second courtyard, there is the design of the eight trigrams or bagua (八卦). From this one could assume that the Chi Lin Nunnery was built with feng shui in mind, especially considering the near-perfect alignment of the gates with the design. The last detail to cover is the use of the lotus flower as a design throughout the Chi Lin Nunnery. The lotus flower is a prominent symbol in Chinese Buddhism as well as Chinese
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culture in general. While the lotus flower is important to other branches of Buddhism, as well as Hinduism, it is used differently in a design sense with Chinese Buddhist temples. Whether it be the posts on the fences, the lights, incense burner, the eaves tiles on the roof, banners on windows and door ways, and numerous other fixtures within the Chi Lin Nunnery, the lotus is prominently displayed. In Buddhism it is symbolic of purity and becoming enlightened. Renowned Chinese philosopher and cosmologist Zhou Dunyi (周敦颐) sums up the idea best by saying “I love the lotus because, while growing from mud, it is unstained.” In Chinese culture, the lotus is, as in Buddhism, prized for its purity, as well as its elegance, and many a poet and painter have covered it in their work. Statues The art of Buddhist statue originates from Ancient Indian Sub-continent and is endowed with distinct features of Indian sub-continent culture at the initial period when it is introduced to China. However, the art has been gradually sinicized after dynasties of development and adaptation in China, which grants the art with a unique charm of the national spirit. The sinicization is manifested differently in different dynasties; the Buddha’s statue in the Chi Lin Nunnery is sculptured based on the features of the Buddhist statues in Tang dynasty, therefore it should be an ideal object to study the sinicization of the Buddhist statues in Tang dynasty. The author analyzes the sinicization of the Buddha statue in Chi Lin Nunnery by comparing the statue and Indian Buddhist statues via two aspects: the facial features and the clothing of the statues. The facial features of the Buddha statue in Chi Lin Nunnery intensively reflect the aesthetic value in Tang dynasty, which are different from that of the Indian Buddhist Statues in any period. Indian Buddhist sculpture art has gone through 3 main phases: the Gandhara style of
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Buddhist sculpture featuring the countenance of Greek people (deep-eyehole, thin lip and Roman nose, with an air of indifference, composure and nobleness); the Mathura style and Gupta style featuring the countenance of Indian people (oval face, raising eyebrow with an air of calmness and elegance, and a contemplating expression). The Buddha Statue in Chi Lin Nunnery features the countenance of Chinese people, or more specifically, the “ideal” countenance in Tang dynasty. Compared to the styles of Indian Buddhist statues, the Buddha statue in Chi Lin Nunnery appears more plump in facial feature--the smooth and round face, thin crescent eyebrow, thick eyelid, fleshy lip, and double chin--all gives the Buddha statue both the elegance and kindness of a loving lady, and the firmness and solemnity of a masculine man. The countenance manifests the aesthetic value of Tang dynasty when plumpness is regarded as the most beautiful and enchanting feature (“以胖唯美”). Such an aesthetic value is not without its reasons. First, as the most wealthy and prosperous country in the world, Tang has ample food for the nationals to keep a strong and well-developed figure; second, the ruler of Tang dynasty is a Xianbei (a nomadic nationality) descent who values a strong and sturdy figure. That is the reason why Buddhist statues in Tang dynasty tend to be plump and why the Buddha statue in Chi Lin Nunnery has a different look from the Indian statues. In terms of clothing, most of the Indian Buddhist statues are nude or half nude while Chinese Buddhist statues are generally heavily clothed with long robes. Even for those dressed Buddhists statues in India, the clothes are so thin and transparent that they cling closely to the statues’ body as if they are wet, through which the body curves, the muscles and even the sexual organs are fully visible. That is why such a style of statues is also referred to as “曹衣出水 (the clothes of one cling closely to one’s body as if one has just gets out of the water)” in China. Such a clothing style results from the nudity culture that the Greek culture has exerted on India; and
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the Phallism Worship that has long been regarded as an important element in Indian aesthetic values. However, the Buddha statue in Chi Lin Nunnery is thickly clothed with long robe. Such a sinicization is caused by China’s rejection to the nudity culture and the great significance Chinese people attach to clothing. Implicitness is one of the most distinctive and ethnical features of Chinese culture. Sex-related topics are hardly brought up in art works; even though they are brought up, they are never explained in such a bold and explicit way as in India. Therefore, the nudity in Indian Buddhist statues is regarded as an offence to the public decency and morality, and is rejected unequivocally by Chinese people. China’s stress on clothing is another reason for the sinicization. Clothing has been regarded as a necessary criterion for civilization according to Chinese values. Ever since the ancient times, China distinguishes itself from the other ethnic groups by claiming itself as “the civilized nation with decent clothes (衣冠 之国)”. An evidence can be found in Mister Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals : “Yu, the ancestor of Chinese people comes to a nation where people do not wear clothes, he takes off his clothes in order to show respect but puts on the clothes immediately after he comes out in order to regain his identity as a civilized man（<吕氏春秋> ‘禹之裸国,裸入衣出,因也’）”. In addition, clothing has been included in the education due to the hierarchical function it carries. The great thinker Zhu Xi (朱熹) in Song dynasty puts the clothing education at the prior position when he is educating his offspring: “clothing education is the first lesson for the students (<朱子童蒙须 知> ‘夫童篆之学,始于衣服冠履’)”; in the Analects for Women, Song Ruozhao (宋若昭) warns women that “women will make fun of themselves and get criticized among the neighbors
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because of the battered clothes they wear (<女论语> ‘衣裳破损,牵西遮东.遭人指点,取笑乡中 ’)”. Conclusion Trailing aspects of Chinese-ness in today’s Hong Kong we decided for one of the most traditional structures in the city, the presented architectural aspects reflect a close link to historical Chinese culture. Chi Lin temple is well promoted as a touristic site, e.g. on the government subsidized Hong Kong Tourist Board’s main website. Within this promotion the temple is closely linked with Nan Lian Garden, a LSCD managed park, which was opened to public in 2006. Chi Lin Nunnery financed part of the construction concerning the landscape planning (LSCD, Press Release, 2006). Not only with their focus on the park’s historical design comprising valuable old trees and timber structures but also with the establishment of a kiln for traditional Chinese pottery as well as the Nunnery’s acting as a publisher’s for various publications on historic matters due to their function as an educational institution and finally the Tang architecture depicted in this report the promotion seems to be centred upon the historical aspect of the facility. Dr. Patrick Ho, Secretary for Home Affairs Hong Kong, even “commended the nunnery for its devotion to promoting Chinese culture and serving the Community” (LSCD, Press Release, 2006) during the opening ceremony of Nan Lian Garden. In 2012 the whole complex was additionally put on the “updated shortlist of potential heritage sites” on the Nunnery’s initiative (Ng, 2012), which goes to Beijing to be considered for the application for UNESCO World Heritage. Opinions were divided. The Hong Kong Antiquities Advisory Board was bypassed in the Nunnery’s claim for recognition of their temple
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as a “legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations.” (UNESCO, date not stated). While Siu Sai-wo, City Talk Author of The Standard “heard, that mainland officials are rather impressed with the nunnery” (Siu, 1013), HK Antiquities Advisory Board Member Tracy Lu Lie-dan justly asked “whose heritage is this?” (Ng, 2012). Chi Lin Nunnery would be the first Hong Kong based Chinese Heritage on the UNESCO’s list. The heated newspaper debate aside we want to return to Wong Tai Sin neighborhood, where Chi Lin Nunnery does stand in constant competition with famous Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin. Both are tagged famous tourist sights and located in the same district named after the latter complex. Although in the 1960’s Chi Lin Nunnery “was the biggest temple in the area” (Feng, 2009, pp. 175) nowadays Wong Tai Sin seems to be far more embedded in the community life than Chi Lin. Two recent examples illustrate the relation quite well. In a 2012 School Project aiming at supporting the understanding of belonging students were supposed to portray aspects of their home district on a bear figure. They decided to dress the Wong Tai Sin bear in monk’s robe, representing the famous sage. Feng Chi-Shun, former South China Morning Post columnist and renowned physician, describes Chi Lin as having had “beautiful landscaping, pagodas and façade” (Feng, 2009, p175) during his childhood on Diamond Hill in the 1950’s to 1960’s. The complex had a certain reputation as a scenic attraction, Feng implying the Nunnery’s approach towards local people. When recently visited he found it “less spacious and more artificial, […] a tourist attraction. Conservation of the Chi Lin Nunnery has been more about renovation than preservation” (Feng, 2009, p185).
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After walking through the impressive, yet quite empty, halls of Chi Lin temple, the ancient Chinese-ness represented by Tang Style architecture seems of far greater concern than the Chinese cultural aspects of Buddhism practiced by local people in present day Hong Kong.
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