Download Historical GIS and Religion in China`s History

Historical GIS and Religion in
China’s History
An example
The Problem
• How can we assess religious activity in
society in the past without data on the
people who were involved in or selfidentified with particular religious practices
(“believers”?)
• Using religious sites as a proxy
The Sources
The Chinese gazetteer
• Space
– Nation
– Province
– Prefecture
– County
– Town
•Time (for “local gazetteers”)
Beginning in the 12th century for southern China,
15th-16th century for the north
Stopped in 1949, resurrected in the 1980s in a new
format
Qing China ca. 1820, Provinces. East of the line: 90% of
the population
Qing China, ca. 1820
Only 6
sites in
Jinhua
Prefecture
in the
1820
national
gazetteer
National Gazetteer of
1461, religious sites in
Jinhua Prefecture
Buddhist monasteries
16
Daoist temples
7
Literati shrines
5
Cult shrines
1
The source problem
• National gazetteers favor
– Officially recognized sites
– Major sites
– Even if consistent, do they reveal religious
practice or state recognition/patronage?
Prefectural and County Gazetteers
1265
1510
1085
1254
1540
1201
1473
1520
Jinhua Prefectural Gazetteer 1154, 1335, 1480, 1578, 1683
Dates of earliest known county gazetteers
Gazetteers and Religious Sites
Yiwu County, Township Map 1596
Yiwu County, Township Map 1596
Yiwu County, Township Map 1596
Yiwu County, Township Map 1596
Yiwu County, Township Map 1596
Prefectural Gazetteer 1480
• Distinguishes Buddhist, Daoist, and
shrines (literati and cult)
• Gives date of founding, building events,
and name changes for many
• Lists abandoned sites
• 722 unique sites in 830 records
type
subtype
Chinese term
unique sites
Buddhist
yuan cloister
院
115
Buddhist
jiaoyuan teaching cloister
教院
113
Buddhist
jiaosi teaching monastery
教寺
150
Buddhist
chansi meditation monastery
禪寺
53
Buddhist
chanyuan meditation cloister
禪院
17
Buddhist
an nunnery; family monastery
庵
60
Buddhist
jiangsi/jiangyuan teaching
monastery
講寺/講院
7
Buddhist
jingtang sutra hall
經堂
4
Buddhist
total
Cult shrine
miao/ci
廟/祠
Daoist Temple
guan
觀
46
literati shrines
ci
祠
20
578
120
Listed in 1480
without founding
dates
Founding Dates for Religious Sites Active in 1480
Ming dynasty to
1471 (103 years)
Yuan dynasty (90
years)
Period
Song dynasty 9771276 (300 years)
Huichang through
end of Tang (72
years)
prior to Huichang
supression of 840s
Ten Kingdoms
period ( 69 years)
prior to Sui
unification of 589
0
20
40
60
80
100
Number of Foundings
120
140
160
foundings per year
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
prior to Sui
unification of
589
prior to
Huichang
Ten Kingdoms Song dynasty Yuan dynasty
Huichang
through end of period ( 69 977-1276 (300 (90 years)
supression of
Tang (72
years)
years)
840s
years)
Ming dynasty
to 1471 (103
years)
Place
Dongyang
Jinhua
Lanxi
Pujiang
Tangxi
Wuyi
Yiwu
Yongkang
total
sites
area km
89
163
119
67
70
70
86
58
722
2199
1280
1048
1197
772
824
1092
1391
9803
area/sites
24.71
7.85
8.81
17.87
11.03
11.77
12.70
23.98
13.58
tax quota in tax units
1472
per site
26,977
303
23,013
36,191
12,976
12,346
12,915
21,034
19,055
141
304
194
176
185
245
329
164507.00
228
Place
sites
area km
sites/area
Dongyang
89
2199
0.04
Yongkang
58
1391
0.04
Pujiang
67
1197
0.06
Yiwu
86
1092
0.08
Wuyi
70
824
0.08
Tangxi
70
772
0.09
Lanxi
119
1048
0.11
Jinhua
163
1280
0.13
Distribution by county of religious sites active in 1480
Place
site area
km
sites/area
Dongyang
89
2199
0.04
Yongkang
58
1391
0.04
Pujiang
67
1197
0.06
Yiwu
86
1092
0.08
Wuyi
70
824
0.08
Tangxi
70
772
0.09
Lanxi
119
1048
0.11
Jinhua
163
1280
0.13
tax
quota in
1472
tax units
wealth
per sq
index/site
km=wealth
index
26,977
12
0.14
19,055
14
0.24
12,976
11
0.16
21,034
19
0.22
12,915
16
0.22
12,346
16
0.23
36,191
35
0.29
23,013
18
0.11
Where are the sites in the
landscape?
• The data problem
• Gazetteers locate places relative to the
county seat, e.g.
Mingyin
Teaching
明因教院
Cloister
North
from
30 li
Lanxi
(=10
(seat)
miles) founded in 643
Congruence with
roads and rivers
Do counties claim
sites in other
counties?
Literati shrines
Cult shrines
Distribution of Buddhist Sites founded 840-976
Distribution of Buddhist Sites founded 1276-1368
Distribution of Buddhist sites founded 977-1275
Distribution of Buddhist “An” (nunneries or family temples)