The administration of sites for Buddhist activities in the big data era in mainland China

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper, starting from research on the system of ‘Official Monks Registration’ (Xi Zhang 系帐) and ‘Granting an Imperial Plaque or Quota’ (Chi E, 敕额) in the Tang and Song dynasties, discusses historical experiences of administrating sites for Buddhist activities. From the perspective of big data, I searched the database of ‘Essential Information of Sites for Religious Activities’ on the State Administration for Religious Affairs website to improve our knowledge of the distribution of Buddhist schools and of other basic information regarding Chinese Buddhism. I argue that ‘Board-Issuing for Buddhist Activity Sites’ (Guapai 挂牌) is a great move, which inherits successful experiences of administrating Buddhist affairs from past dynasties and reflects how society is governed by law and regulations. Moreover, it will probably help current Chinese Buddhism to overcome the predicament that Buddhist temples have been occupied by the tourism industry since the Cultural Revolution, which mingles religious places with tourism and causes many problems.