Activities
《 Pagodas, Statues, and Stone: Devotion during the Northern Dynasties’ Stone Pagoda Festival and the Dissemination of Buddhist Pagoda Beliefs in Han China 》
Thursday, 27 Mar, 2025
Fung King Hey Building
Speaker: Prof. Zhao Jinchao
Tongji University
Topic: Pagodas, Statues, and Stone: Devotion during the
Northern Dynasties’ Stone Pagoda Festival and the Dissemination of Buddhist Pagoda Beliefs in Han China
Date: 27 March 2025
Venue: Fung King Hey Building
Chair: Prof. CHEN Chien Huang
Discussant: Prof. WANG Xingyi
Abstract: This lecture situates the stone tower festivals unearthed in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and eastern Gansu within the broader historical context of early medieval Buddhist tower construction and devotional practices. It examines the architectural features of small- to medium-sized stone towers and their relationship to larger temple complexes. The study also incorporates inscriptional evidence to investigate how donors during the Northern Dynasties perceived and distinguished among “towers,” “statues,” and “stones,” illuminating the nuanced meanings attributed to these forms of religious expression.
Co-organizer: Centre for the Study of Humanistic Buddhism, CUHK