A Tale of Two Stå«pas: Diverging Paths in the Revival of Buddhism in China

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and the surrounding environs have one of the richest Buddhist cultures in China. In A Tale of Two StÅ pas, Albert Welter tells the story of Hangzhou Buddhism through the conceptions, erections, and resurrections of Yongming Stupa, dedicated to the memory of one of Hangzhou's leading Buddhist figures, and Leifeng Pagoda, built to house stupa relics of the historical Buddha.

Welter delves into the intricacies of these two sites and pays particular attention to their origins and rebirths. These sites have suffered devastation and endured long periods of neglect, yet both have been resurrected and re-resurrected during their histories and have resumed meaningful places in the contemporary Hangzhou landscape, a mark of their power and endurance. A Tale of Two StÅ pas adopts a site-specific, regional approach in order to show how the dynamics of initial conception, resurrection, and re-resurrection work, and what that might tell us about the nature of Hangzhou and Chinese Buddhism.

Author: Albert Welter
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 11/04/2022
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 9.48h x 6.29w x 0.81d
ISBN13: 9780197606636
ISBN10: 0197606636
BISAC Categories:
- Religion | Buddhism | Zen (see also Philosophy | Zen)
- Architecture | Buildings | Religious

About the Author

Albert Welter is Professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. He is currently leading a project funded by the Khyentse Foundation on Buddhist Culture in the Hangzhou Region of China and its impact throughout East Asia.