Research On The Formative Background And Architectural Feature And Layout Of The Bell And Drum Towers In The Chinese Buddhist Temples

The Bell and Drum Towers of Chinese Buddhist Temples are the mostrepresentative symmetrical temple pavilion in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Beforethe appearance of these towers in Buddhist Temples, The Bell and Drum Towersalready had been built in Palaces and Cities. However, at present, there is littleresearch regarding the systematic relationship between them, as well as theformative period of the Bell and Drum Towers in Temples. Therefore, thisdissertation studies the formative background, architectural features and layoutof the Bell and Drum Towers in Chinese Buddhist Temples.First of all, this study analyses the formative background of the Bell andDrum Towers in temples, as well as finds the development process of the layoutof the Bell and Drum Towers in Palaces and Cities. Secondly, this study findsthe starting establishment and developed period of the Bell and Drum Towers inTemples. Finally, this study examines the architectural features and layout ofthese towers. Additionally, it reviews the Bell and Drum towers in South KoreanBuddhist Temples.The results of this study are as follows:1) There are two formative backgrounds of the Bell and Drum Towers inTemples. The first, its external factor, is the abolition of the Palace Bell andDrum Tower system. After this, the Bell and Drum Towers were built in theCities and Temples and influenced each others development. In the end, theybecame the representative layout system of the Cities and Temples in the Mingand Qing Dynasties. The second, its internal factor, is the change of thesymmetrical layout in Buddhist Temples. In the beginning there was the "Belland Sutra towers", then the "Bell and Wheel Sutra towers" and "Bell andGuanyin Pavilion" and finally the layout was fixed as the "Bell and DrumTowers".2) The formative period of the Buddhist Bell and Drum Towers started inthe late Yuan Dynasty and was established in the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, from Zhengtong to Zhengde years.3) The architectural features and layout of the Buddhist Bell and DrumTowers in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are as follows: a two-story pavilioncovered with Xieshanding; a brick wall on the first floor and a wooden barrierwall on the second floor; and the first floor plan is3x3and the second floorplan is1x1. Generally the towers are located on both sides of the first courtyard,that is, between the temple gate and the Tianwang-dian.