Buddhist Temples And Poetry In Chang'an During The Tang Dynasty

Buddhist temples in Tang's capital Chang'an are important buddihistic area and public places. During the Tang Dynasty, more than one hundred and sixty poets created nearly six hundred poems about temples of Chang'an, so that most Tang poems which described Buddhist temples were created in Chang'an. Regional culture's influence of Chang'an makes the poems about temples present distinct characteristics. Temples' local distribution in Chang'an area expands their social function, which is convenient for poets' activities and stimulate their poetry creation. Impacted by the popular movements of parties, imperial examination,sightseeing and reclusion in Chang'an, poets create a variety of poems with different themes, styles and emotions. Related closely with imperial authority, poetry of temples topic in Chang'an are influenced deeply by imperial power, which brings special content, subjects and styles into temple poetry. Besides, unique ordered poems with Buddhist temples topic are produced by imperial culture in Chang'an. Temples' environment of Chang'an also helps poets create three kinds of scenic poems, containing climbing poems, landscape poems and garden poems, which embody three main styles of Chang'an temples poetry. In addition, the changing of Buddhism in Chang'an causes the style of temple poetry changing from religious to vulgar, which means the poetic language, the substance and the artistic prospect changing vulgar gradually. Based on interdisciplinary research method, this thesis analyses Chang'an religious regional culture's influence on Buddhist temple poetry, and states the poetry's creative features through five different perspectives, which is a new review about poetry of Tang Dynasty.