1. Zhangzhou Temple was founded in the Tang Dynasty, and there were more than 600 temples in its heyday. Buddhism was first introduced into China from India and began to rise in the Han Dynasty. After constant adaptation and gradual integration with the traditional Confucian culture in China, it entered its heyday in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Zhangzhou has been called the hometown of Buddhism since ancient times. Buddhism has a long history and a strong cultural atmosphere.
According to relevant historical records, the number of temples in Zhangzhou began to be built in the Tang Dynasty and developed to the Yuan Dynasty. There were more than 600 Buddhist temples, of which about 500 were empirical. If all kinds of temples and other forms of Buddhist buildings are added, the total number can even reach more than 1000.
From the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, the most populous period in Zhangzhou appeared in the Song Dynasty. According to statistics, during the flourishing development of Buddhism in Zhangzhou in ancient times, more than 200 people owned a temple on average. From this point of view, the name of the Buddhist country in Zhangzhou is not empty.
Even though many temples were destroyed or abandoned with the development of the times, some famous ancient temples were still preserved. Another point is that in Fujian, there is more than one place in Zhangzhou about the name of Buddha country, and Quanzhou is also known as Buddha country, and its main origin is Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty. This place was called Buddha country in ancient times, and the streets were full of saints? This couplet is related.
2. The scale of real estate and fertile land held by Zhangzhou Ancient Temple in ancient times is among the best. As Buddhism took root in China, the culture and economy of Buddhism began to permeate and influence people's lives in many ways. The economic development of the southern region in Song Dynasty benefited from the favorable policies at the national level, that is, the economic center of gravity moved south and prospered rapidly. With the rising tide, Buddhism became more popular at that time.
According to the historical records of the Song Dynasty, the development level of Fujian ranks first in the country, especially Fuzhou, Xinghua, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, which are collectively called the next four states. Zhangzhou is located at the head of the next four states, echoing the name of Buddha.
Secondly, the standard to measure the economic level is mainly the size of the fields owned by temples. Only at the end of the Ming Dynasty, when Buddhism in Zhangzhou declined, the total area of fertile land owned by the five Zen temples in Zhangzhou accounted for one-tenth of the whole Zhangzhou at that time. It can be seen that when Zhangzhou Buddhism is brilliant, its economic level will not be low, and it is a veritable Buddhist country.
3. The rise of economy is the same reason as the rise and later decline of Zhangzhou as a Buddhist country. The prosperity of Buddhism in Zhangzhou was inseparable from the promotion of economic development at that time. Due to the profound cultural and mass foundation established in the early stage, people from the imperial court to Lebanon believed in and respected Buddhism very much. Officials gave land and believers gave it to the people, which greatly promoted various behaviors. The prosperity and rise of Buddhist temple economy is also conducive to promoting the development and reputation of Zhangzhou Buddhist country.
To some extent, the overly prosperous Buddhist economy has also attracted the attention and suspicion of the rulers. Because it affects the finances and taxes of the state and local governments, it is easy to cause social unrest, but in fact it mainly threatens some rights and interests of rulers. So the court began to issue warnings and take measures to weaken the further development of the local temple economy. Although the result was that Buddhism in Zhangzhou began to decline step by step, there was still a strong Buddhist atmosphere in Zhangzhou in modern times.