Conservation of Buddhist Grottoes_Research booklet
Project brief
The past is in the present
The present past is grounded in the concept of the living conservation of religious heritage - Buddhist Grottoes, specifically focusing on the Yungang Grottoes, a paramount example of Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD) juxtaposition between local settlements and religious practice and belief system. Confronted with the gradual spiritual and physical deterioration of the grottoes, this project critiques the current conservation management in place and reimagines our relationship with heritage, exploring how we can co-inhabit with religious and urban heritage.
The proposal introduces a 'living heritage approach’, where new protective enclosures become a testing platform which 1) physically protect endangered grottoes, 2) acts as a support system for continuing the rituals and habits of a community, 3) revisit and learn from the forgotten traditional craft. The project takes the position that heritage values when it is part of a living culture and history; remembering and practising culture is the dynamic conservation. Traditional religious activities and architectural forms are reintroduced, allowing visiting audience have spiritual learning in between and deepen their understanding of the religious site within its natural context. This helps to extend the collective spiritual and cultural memory of the site, ensuring its continued relevance and vibrancy.
Maintaining collective memory is fundamental to preserving cultural heritage. It is the goal of this project to build upon past and present knowledge to explore future architectures of heritage conservation. By transforming the Yungang Grottoes into a space where history, culture, and community converge, the project seeks to maintain the site's significance for future generations.
Research Questions
Stage 1
Why the grottoes are facing damaging and weathering and how to protect the grottoes from physical damaging?
Why the intangible practices declined and how can they be truly reinvigorated and inherited?
How to remain the meaning and connection to the associated community?
Stage 2
How can the architectural enclosures for heritage conservation be viewed as a process rather than a product? Can the enclosure not only physically protect the grottoes but also support both temporary and permanent sacred/secular activities, maintaining continuity with the present in both tangible and intangible values?
How can the building crafts of traditional enclosures be inherited and innovatively applied in the creation as an architectural components?
How can these enclosures aid in applying adaptive designs in spatial forms and types of activities, according to the different types of grottoes?
Overall introduction
The site, the Yungang Grottoes, began construction in the 4th century and is one of the largest and most representative grotto complexes in China. It stands as a historical testimony to the integration of the Northern Wei dynasty's ethnic groups and serves as a vessel for the mature art of sculpture and mural painting. The original enclosures (all of the caves were covered by external structures built at the same time) have all disappeared, with a portion reconstructed in traditional forms since the 1980s, but most remain in an open-air state. I have chosen the most typical and largest western section of the area as a testing ground to explore the possibilities of conservation.
Sightseeing area
The Yungang Grottoes Sightseeing Area has undergone extensive development since 2007 and has now evolved into a region with well-established infrastructure. This includes facilities such as a museum, a research centre, a theatre, gift shops, and parking areas. However, these components exist as isolated points of interest, lacking meaningful integration with the grottoes themselves. The grottoes appear disconnected and remain in a state of stagnation regarding their cultural and historical progression.
Shili River
Historical Perspective
Rise and fall
Phase One ~5th century
Originally commissioned by the royal family, the grottoes were open for public worship, displaying royal power and strengthening religious belief. During this time, the grottoes and nearby mountain temples formed a unified religious complex.
Phase Two
5th century - 19th century
After the last dynasty fell, monks took over the area and constructed grotto enclosures, creating spaces for both religious and daily activities. Despite enduring many wars and periods of anti-Buddhist sentiment, subsequent governments continued to organize repairs and maintain the grottoes over the centuries.
Design area
Phase three 19th century - 21st century
Since the 20th century, due to wars and anti-religious movements, most of the enclosures have disappeared, with the remaining ones in ruins. The government has organized partial reconstructions in traditional styles and established the Yungang Grottoes tourist area.
Qing Era
Temple
Spatial Typology Of Grotto
Continuity of spiritual practices
1
3 - Meditation grotto for spiritual practice.
5 - Scriptual debating grotto for big ceremonies and festivals
2 - Memorial grotto for reading and storage
4 - Grotto for stone stupa, circumambulation and prayer
6 - Equipped with drum and bell tower
Historically, the grottoes' spaces are categorized into five main types based on their functions. These include areas for key religious activities such as worship, scripture lectures, commemoration, meditation, and spiritual practices, as well as spaces for storing Buddhist artifacts. They usually equipped with a bell tower and a drum tower, often described poetically as the "morning bell and evening drum", like a riminder for monks during the day.
Based on the study of the grottoes' spaces and activities, the diagrams illustrate the possible spatial relationships between monks and visitors during various activities. These activities are typically led and maintained by the monks, with visitors participating to complete the cycle of religious practices.
- Worship grotto with big buddha
visitors monks
What's now?
Preserve condions
Erosions open-air fully coverd by traditional-style structure
The main problems faced by cave temples:
Although the Yungang Grottoes are currently recognized as an important protected heritage site in China, effective forms of preservation are still in the stages of trial and experimentation. Some of the grottoes have been equipped with protective structures that mimic ancient forms, while others are protected using steel structures and modern architectural styles. However, the conservation is only focusing on the material protection, the majority of the caves still exist in isolation, primarily functioning as isolated tourist attractions and still monuments.
Fissure cutting causes rock mass deformation and collapse; Water erosion diseases; Weather damage disease; Damage caused by human activities (human production, human religious activities, improper tourism development, theft and vandalism)
The main purpose of protective enclosure is preventing direct sunlight and rain, maintain natural ventilation, and help balance internal and external humidity and temperature. For the preservation of sculptures and murals, chemical and biological methods will be used for detection and restoration.
Diagram of the relationship between heritage and community now
Typology study
Heritage conservation: enclosures of archaeological sites
Typology Study
Conclusion and thesis diagram
Value-based approach: based on the evident discontinuity between the monuments(belonging to the past) and the cultural process of the communities(belonging to the present)with varying degrees of limited interaction between the visitors and heritage.
The concept of the 'Living Heritage Approach,' developed by ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) and UNESCO, emphasizes continuity in four key areas: original use, community connection, cultural expressions, and ongoing care.
Living heritage, as defined by this approach, refers to cultural heritage that remains in use for its original or traditional purpose, maintaining strong ties to a core community. This core community could be the one that originally created or inherited the site, object, or tradition and continues to use, care for, and protect it. As time progresses and communities evolve, living heritage is allowed to adapt, incorporating new cultural expressions that resonate with and benefit contemporary life.
This definition aligns perfectly with the Buddhist concept of 'karma.' In Buddhism, karma dictates that a living being undergoes repeated rebirths, each time assuming a different form. Life, according to Buddhist belief, extends from an infinite past into an endless future. The karma accumulated in past lives influences the nature of each new rebirth. Similarly, the continuity in heritage allows it to experience a form of rebirth. What happend in the past will be right in the present, that's how a heritage keeps alive and be rememberd by community.
Living heritage approach: empathize the continuity of life between monuments and people, from a line to an area.
So the living heritage approach brings original activities and users back to the site, the monks will still use, take care of and safeguard the grottoes. At the same time, the conservation area benefit new community - visitors and researches, evolving the secession of original cultural expressions in contemporary life.
What is the purpose of living heritage conservation?
POSITION
HERITAGE VALUAS WHEN IT IS PART OF A LIVING CULTURE AND HISTORY; REMEMBERING AND PRACTISING CULTURE IS THE DYNAMIC CONSERVATION.
Definition
DEFINE AND MAINTAIN VALUE
CULTURAL VALUES
CONTEMPORARY SOCIO - ECONOMIC VALUES
IDENTITY VALUE/ EMOTIONAL TIES
Culture and customs of xianbei (historic ethnic group of northern nomads)
Historical testimony of chinese appropriating buddhist history
History of northern dynasties and Tang
RELATIVE ARTISTIC OR TECHNICAL VALUE
Mural and sculpture artifacts(art)
Enclosure: conventional construction crafts
RARITY VALUE
The largest group of buddhsit grottoes in china
ECONOMIC VALUE
Tourism Industry Sustainable tourism capacity
REMAIN CONTINUITY (LIVINGNESS)
CONTINUITY OF USE (ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS)
Grottoes: Religious practices/festivals in the process of Sinicisation of Buddhism
CONTINUITY OF EVOLVING CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS
Religious practices/Festival Ceremonies
FUCTIONAL VALUE
Spiritual Sanctuary
EDUCATIONAL VALUE
Religious sites
Art, Culture and History
SOCIAL VALUE
Congregation Space for Public
CONTINUITY OF COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Buddhist Followers Craftsman
Citizens/Tourists
CONTINUITY OF CARE AND MANAGEMENT
Enclosure: Protect the Grottoes
Grottoes: Spiritual sanctuary
How can these crafts and human-related cultural pratices be truly reinvigorated and inherited?
PROPOSAL
AN ENCLOSURE THAT NOT ONLY PROTECTS THE GROTTOES THEMSELVES BUT ALSO SUPPORTS BOTH SACRED AND SECULAR ACTIVITIES.
Thesis Diagram
In line with the definition of 'living heritage,' my analysis of the Yungang Grottoes focuses on two primary aspects: value and continuity.To preserve and rejuvenate these aspects,it is essential to reintegrate the key crafts and cultural practices that are deeply connected to the site,such as Buddhist festivals and traditional Chinese architectural techniques.The proposed enclosure aims to facilitate this reintegration,ensuring that these vital elements are brought back to the site,thereby maintaining its living heritage.
Based on an in-depth study of the spatial and functional types of the grottoes,the historical context of Chinese Buddhist activities and customs,and an analysis of temple spatial configurations,the project proposes five primary programmes.These programmes explore the spatial interactions between monks and visitors:
1) Worship Hall Centred Around Large Buddha Statues: Designed for worship and ritual activities,led by monks and involving visitor participation.
2)Small Lecture Area Adjacent to Smaller Buddha Caves: Designed for delivering scripture lectures in a more intimate setting.
3)Storage Spaces for Buddhist Artifacts: Used by monks for the storage of religious artifacts.
4)Meditation and Ascetic Practice Spaces with Varying Degrees of Privacy: For both monks and visitors,offering different levels of seclusion for meditation and practice.
5)Spiral Ascending Path Based on Stupa: A path designed for visitors to experience a rising,contemplative journey around a stupa,embodying the spiritual ascent.
Programme
Narritive journey of main community: visitors and monks
From temporary to permanent; from past to present
Seasonal festival ceremonies that originated from Buddhism, once celebrated in grottoes and has since become secularized.
Permanent programs embrace the continuity of the heritage, spectrum from semi-private space to community use.
LANTERN FESTIVAL
the 15th day of the first month in lunisolar Chinese calendar
the 20th day of the second month in lunisolar Chinese calendar
COLD FOOD FESTIVAL WORSHIP EDUCATION/ EXHIBITION
HALL
FESTIVAL
The 8th day of the fourth
of visitors open to public
THE GHOST FESTIVAL (ZHONGYUAN FESTIVAL)
The 15th day of the 7th month in
MEDITATION MEMORIAL
WORSHIP EDUCATION/ EXHIBITION
SCRIPTURE HALL noise
FESTIVAL CEREMONIES
Through both temporary and permanent programs, the proposed enclosure represents a spectrum from semi-private space to community use, transitioning from ancient spiritual healing to modern public gathering places.
Religious/spiritual activities that once took place inside the cave have been relocated to the first layer of enclosures outside the caves, due to environmental control measures. Public activities that connect with the present occur within the second layer of enclosures.
month in lunisolar Chinese calendar.
lunisolar Chinese calendar.
BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY
Design decisions
Mesh enclosure imitating ancient chinese architecture
*hanging on the timber and steel structure
Solid timber roof
Timber support structure with traditional chinese joints'SunMao'
Steel walkways and platforms
Design decisions
The main purpose of this project is the aim to reintegrate the original cultural essence, activities, atmosphere, and craftsmanship of the Buddhist grottoes and the old protecting enclosure architecture back into the site. A critical design consideration involves balancing the physical protection provided by solid enclosures with the overall visual appreciation of the grottoes and their cliffside setting.
The project primarily consists of three key components:
Multilayered steel walkways and platforms, timber roofs echo traditional materials and methods, and lightweight mesh enclosures. The multi-angled walkways and viewing platforms offer a novel perspective for visitors to explore the grotto site, revealing the intricacies and grandeur of the grottoes from various viewpoints. The solid roofs provide robust physical protection for the grottoes, safeguarding them from environmental elements. Meanwhile, the semi-transparent mesh structures not only evoke the ambiance of traditional culture but also subtly delineate the boundary between the historical and the contemporary. This design approach creates an ambiguous yet harmonious interface between the past and the present, offering balance between safeguarding the site and maintaining visual permeability, allowing the intricate details of the grottoes and the natural landscape to be appreciated.
Embodied carbon calculation
During off-peak seasons, such as the early mornings of winter, the site is maintained and utilized exclusively by monks for their daily routines and practices.
During the regular tourist season, visitors are free to explore, wander, and immerse themselves in the rich cultural atmosphere of the Buddhist grottoes.
Each January, the most famous Buddhist festival, the Lantern Festival, is celebrated in front of the Great Buddha.
The interplay of lights and the architectural setting creates a mesmerizing spectacle, reminiscent of the grandeur and splendour of ancient times, as if one has been transported back to the majestic scenes of tiered towers reaching into the sky.
Grotto No.20, featuring the largest open-air Buddha statue, along with the multi-level viewing ramps, forms a semi-enclosed, exceptionally tall worship hall. Monks lead rituals and worship activities on the platforms close to the statue, as well as daily practices of delivering sermons and studying scriptures. The ramps guide visitors to various heights for viewing the Buddha, enabling a shift in perspective from the human level to that of the divine. As they traverse these pathways, they seamlessly cross the blurred boundaries from the human realm into the spiritual world of the Buddha.
The meditation spaces for monks and visitors are separated by three layers: differences in height, a mesh canopy, and semi-transparent fabric. While they share a tranquil atmosphere conducive to meditation, their paths and perspectives remain distinct. The limited natural light and ventilation emulate the traditional environment of the ancient grottoes, creating an atmosphere for visitors that echoes the spiritual practice of Buddhist meditation.
The walkways, featuring various heights of viewing platforms and ramps, offer new perspectives for exploring the grottoes. They provide immersive and unique opportunities for interaction with the Buddha statues.
The area in front of the Great Buddha serves as the largest space dedicated to worship and rituals. It provides a setting where activities are primarily led by monks, with visitors playing a supportive role.
The dedicated meditation spaces for monks are distinctly separated from the visitor pathways. This design allows visitors to resonate with the serene atmosphere of the monks' practices with minimal interference, ensuring a respectful and harmonious coexistence.
The tiered walkways offer completely new vantage points for viewing the grottoes. This arrangement allows for a more profound and personal connection between the visitors and the grottoes, providing opportunities for interaction in more intimate and contemplative spaces.
Research
Guidelines
<UNESCO world heritage convention>
<Guidelines for the Protection of Cultural Relics and Monuments in China, 2015>
<"14th Five-Year Plan" Special Plan for the Protection and Utilization of Grotto Temples, 2021>
Research
Crafts: componet study
My component design focuses on the core structure and crafts of ancient Chinese wooden architecture, which revolves around the traditional beam-and-column structure with dougong brackets system. The initial purpose of the dougong was to extend the roof over a larger area through triangular cantilevers. Demands for decoration and strict ancient regulations for wooden buildings later led to an increase in the size of the dougong and the amount of wood material.
This study is looking at dougong and interlocking mortise-and-tenon joints, aiming to follow and explore reversible designs with local materials(wood and limestone). Utilizing a tree structure, maximize roof space, providing larger, multi-level congregation areas, while keep the original structural purpose and reducing material use, also maintain the original aesthetic.
This attempt could potentially serve as a supporting element for the entire project in spatial division and fostering a sacred atmosphere, performs better on environmental control like better ventilation and light condition.
Typical Joint of Dougong brackets
Traditional Chinese wooden column-beam with dougong brackets
Source: Liang Sicheng, ‘Annotations on Yingzao Fashi,’ p.141; p.161
Historical Survey of Buddhism in China
In the process of Buddhism's Sinicization, the principal spatial vehicles for its dissemination were the Buddhist grottoes and urban Buddhist temples, each playing distinct roles in religious activities and significance. While their functions were largely similar, the key distinction lay in the location and purpose: Buddhist grottoes, typically nestled in mountains far from urban centers, primarily served as sacred spaces for meditation and pilgrimage; urban temples, situated in city hearts, drew followers, functioning as hubs for scriptural discourse, debates, and secular community activities.
Research
Buddhist temple spaces in ancient china
Layout of temple in cities from Northern Dynasties(420-589) to Tang Dynasty(618-907)
The Buddhist spaces and their urban layout in Northern Wei Luoyang and Tang Chang'an exemplify the evolution of Buddhism as a facet of political care practices. In the Northern Wei, Buddhism was employed as a political tool, aimed at demonstrating imperial power and providing spiritual care to the populace through the control and management of religious spaces. This form of care politics reflected the direct control and utilization of religious spaces by political power.
In contrast, the Buddhist spaces of Tang Chang'an were more reflective of social aspects. Temples became centers of social activity, offering spaces for public political events, social services, and cultural interactions. This not only indicates the secularization of Buddhist spaces but also reveals the role of religion as an implicit bond of political control.
In modern China, Buddhism has evolved under the central government's policy of atheism. The competition between atheistic and theistic beliefs is a prominent cultural phenomenon in Chinese urban society. The state's policies of separating politics from religion and ensuring religious freedom have confined the development of religion to the realm of personal and social development. Understanding how religious spaces and their relationship with politics and society have changed over different historical periods is key to studying this spatial typology in the context of today's China.
Jinglin Temple, characterized by its layered lecture halls and interconnected corridor rooms Jianzhong Temple with the Buddha Hall at the front and the Lecture Hall at the back
Buddhist Temple Standard Diagram
Sandstone with thin layers of mudstone arid area
tropical humid area
Map of Buddhist grottoes in China
semi-arid area
Limestone
Murals showing the original atmosphere
Dun-huang grotto
Yungang grotto Festivals
Ancient paintings
Drawing of Mogao cave <Dunhuang County Annals> Qing Dynasty
Bingling Temple Cave N.169
Restoration of the Maiji Mountain Grottoes
Yungang grotto
3d scanning model of cave 20
restoration of original enclosure for cave 14-20
Archive
Precedents of traditional joints
Reading list & Bibliography
Bibliography
Liu Dunzhen: History of Ancient Chinese Architecture(1984)
Yang Chen: Study of Indicator System and Adaptive Technology for Monitoring on Attributes of Domestic Ancient Architectural Heritage(2017)
Shiming Liu. The Inscriptions of the Yungang Grottoes Statues and the Sinicization of Buddhism during the Northern Wei Dynasty. Yungang Studies, 2023
Ming Zhou. Evolution and Research Progress of Dou-gong Structures. Urban Architecture, 2020
Yubo Song. Study on the Sinicization Process of Buddhism [D]. Northwest University, 2004.
Yinghong Wang: Deterioration and conservation of rock-hewn sandstone cave-temples in Longdong area, China,2021
Cheng An. Rethinking the Cave Eaves of Grottoes from the Perspective of Conservation Principles. Journal of Architectural History, 2016
Kenneth Kuan Sheng Ch'en: Buddhism in China: A Historical Survey (Virginia and Richard Stewart Memorial Lectures, 1961)
John Darlington: Fake Heritage - Why We Build Monuments
Susan Naquin: Peking - Temples and City Life 1400-1900
Céline condorelli: Support Structures
Bernard M. FeildenJukka Jokilehto: Management guidelines for World Cultural Heritage sites
Olimpia Niglio: Regenerating Cultural Religious Heritage - Intercultural Dialogue on Places of Religion and Rituals(2022)
Peng Minghao: The Construction Project of the Yungang Grottoes(2017)
Liang Sicheng: Yingzao Fashi" (Treatise on Architectural Methods) Annotations
Liang Sicheng: A Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture
Li Qianlang: Through Walls and Partitions: A Cross-Sectional View of Classic Ancient Chinese Architecture
