Introduction

Abstract

Abstract This chapter surveys the state of the field of material culture and sacred spaces in Chinese Buddhism, as well as the historical development of monastery layouts. The chapter explores how both the material and the human elements were affected by destruction events, and accordingly reconstruction of a monastery inevitably addressed both spheres. A devoted and charismatic reconstruction leader, who was often an outsider to the community, typically played a crucial role in enabling the reconstruction to occur. Building upon the work of architectural historians and scholars of modern Chinese Buddhism, this chapter establishes the theoretical and methodological basis for the chapters that follow.