Chinese temple architecture

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Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as:

• Guandi or Shennong
  .
• ancestral temples
  , mostly enshrining the ancestral gods of a family or clan.
• Taoist temples and monasteries: 觀 guàn or 道觀 dàoguàn; and
• Chinese Buddhist temples and monasteries: 寺 sì or 寺院 sìyuàn
• Temple of Confucius which usually functions as both temple and town school: 文廟 wénmiào or 孔廟 kŏngmiào.
• Temples of
  City God
  (城隍廟), which worships the patron God of a village, town or a city.
• Smaller household shrines or votive niche, such as the worship of
  Zaoshen and Caishen
  .

Gōng (宮), meaning "palace" is a term used for a templar complex of multiple buildings, while yuàn (院), meaning "institution," is a generic term meaning "sanctuary" or "shrine". Táng (堂) means courtyard or room, and ān (庵) means dome or nunnery.

Overview

Shen temples are distinct from

Confucian lisheng, and also wu and tongji shamans, may perform services within the temples. Shenist

temples are usually small and decorated with traditional figures on their roofs (dragons and deities), although some evolve into significant structures.

Chinese temples can be found throughout

Joss sticks, a kind of incense

, are burned inside and outside of the temple.

See also

• Jingxiang
• Taoist temple
• Confucian temple
• Chinese ritual mastery traditions
• Chinese folk religion
• Chinese folk religion in Southeast Asia
• List of Mazu temples
• List of City God Temples in China
• List of temples in Taichung, Taiwan
• Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong
• Kwan Tai temples in Hong Kong
• Chinese temples in Kolkata

References

1. ^ R., J (Supercargo) (1822). Diary of a journey overland, through the Maritime Provinces of China from Manchao, on the south coast of Hainan, to Canton in the years 1819 and 1820. Sir Richard Philips & Co.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chinese temples.

• China Ancestral Temples Network (archived 2 May 2014)
• Chinese Temples in Penang