Yuan-Dynasty Chinese Buddhist Temples

Timeline

1. 1271–1280Dadu · North ChinaAfter Kublai Khan established the state name Yuan, the court maintained Chinese Buddhist temples through name grants, tax-exempt estates, and protection orders; many famous temples were newly built or expanded within Dadu, forming the Buddhist landscape of the imperial capital.
2. c. 1275–1320Hangzhou · JiangnanTemples in Hangzhou, Suzhou, and elsewhere obtained donations through commercial networks, printed the Buddhist canon, hosted Water-Land rituals, and participated in local relief; Chan and Tiantai monastic communities maintained vigorous vitality in Jiangnan.
3. c. 1270–1300Mount Wutai · ShanxiThe Imperial Preceptor Phagpa's system coexisted with Chinese Buddhist temples; sacred sites like Mount Wutai attracted Tibetan and Chinese monks on pilgrimage; some temple architecture and statuary absorbed Tibetan elements, reflecting the empire's religious pluralism.
4. c. 1320–1368North China and Jiangnan · ChinaSome temples were destroyed in the warfare of the late Yuan; the early Ming court re-regulated monastic registration and the number of temples; the legacy of Yuan Buddhist temples continued Tang and Song standards in reconstruction and opened a new phase of Buddhist administration in the Ming dynasty.