The Anyue Buddhist 安岳 sites can be mainly dated between the Tang (618–907) and the Ming (1368–1644) dynasties and consist of locations of great importance when studying Buddhism in the Sichuan area, and more generally the spread of Buddhist thought, architecture and art in China. Although the neighboring Dazu 大足 sites are quite well studied, the Anyue sites have not yet received the same scholarly attention. In addition to well-known sites such as the Pilu Caves 毗盧洞, Huayan Caves 華嚴洞, Yuanjue Pagoda 圓覺塔, etc., there are hundreds (or possibly even thousands) of smaller sites which hardly have been studied and/or documented.
In addition to the Anyue sites - based on the large quantity of photographic materials collected by the participating researchers during the last 40 years - various sites in the Dazu area (Baodingshan 寶頂山, Beishan 北山, Nanshan 南山, Shizhuanshan 石篆山, Shimenshan 石門山, etc.) will also receive scholarly attention, with the emphasis on studying the diachronic developments during this period, including the impact of restoration / conservation projects and the dramatically increasing number of tourists during the last two decades.
Another focal area is Chongqing 重慶 and the study of local Buddhist monasteries in a historical perspective between the Ming and the Qing, based on local gazetteers, as well as research on the contemporary role of the extant Buddhist structures in this mega city.
The project is international and interdisciplinary, informally gathering scholars with various interests and specializations, such as Chinese Buddhism, Buddhist art and archaeology, rock inscriptions, as well as geography, conservation of cultural heritage, and Digital Humanities.
The project builds on previous fieldwork and research conducted by individual scholars and by groups, at various times during the last 40 years. This “historical” perspective is of special interest for us, trying to trace continuities and changes in selected Buddhist sites of the Anyue region, based on photographs taken in the 1990s in comparison to more recent visual materials.
The work in the framework of the project will mainly consist on individual research, collaboration between scholars, seminars and gatherings, Doctoral Schools, as well as joint fieldwork activities.
In a short-term perspective, the following activities are planned:
- Professional digitization and archivation of photographic slides taken in the 1990s (ongoing);
- Organization of a Doctoral School on the study of Sichuan Buddhist sites at Ghent University (April 2026; main instructors: Wendi Adamek and Henrik Sørensen), focusing on the analysis of the digitized image material together with local and international PhD and Postdoctoral researchers, as well as discussing fieldwork methodologies in the pre-digital and digital eras;
- Organization of a fieldwork trip to various sites in the Anyue area (planned for Autumn 2026), with a focus on the documentation of smaller and less studied Buddhist sites.
In a long-term perspective, we will try to create a database containing visual materials of Anyue Buddhist sites, ranging from 1990 until present times. A prototype of the database infrastructure is planned to be presented by our technicians/programmers Christian Bell and Jan Schrupp in April 2026 in the framework of the Doctoral School.
Another focal point will be the creation of detailed digital maps of the locations of the Anyue Buddhist sites, in collaboration with project participants who have a background in geographical research and GIS (e.g., Tang Siqi and Liu Chentong).
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The project is also based on previous "virtual fieldwork" during the period of the Covid epidemic, in the framework of the FROGBEAR project: "From the Ground Up: Buddhism and East Asian Religions" (concluded 2024).
Fieldwork data (based on the virtual fieldwork in May 2022) are accesible at “Database of Religious Sites in Anyue District, Sichuan” (ed. Christoph Anderl et al.). The results of the virtual fieldwork of May 2022 in the framework of Research Cluster 3.4, “Typologies of Text-Image Relations” of the FROGBEAR project are uploaded in the “FROGBEAR Database of Religious Sites in East Asia”:
https://frogbear.org/app/
Please choose “Cluster 3.4” from the first dropdown window.
Currently, 155 main entries (each entry with multiple high-resolution photographs and descriptions) are accessible, focusing on the following sites (in order to download the full-size images, click on "UBC Open Collection" in the entries):
- Wofo yuan 臥佛院
- Yuanjue dong 圓覺洞
- Pilu dong 毗廬洞
- Kongque dong 孔雀洞
- Qianfo zhai 千佛寨
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Another important aspect is the use of visual materials of Sichuan Buddhist sites in teaching and pedagogical activities and the involvement of advanced MA students (for example, in the framework of the course "Buddhism: Text and Material Culture"). Below, please find samples of "study results" in the form of students' essays (students have been also involved in the preparation of data for the FROGBEAR / UBC database):
An Introduction to Wòfó Yuàn 臥佛院
A Virual Survey of the Pílú dòng Site with an Emphasis on the Tableau of Liǔ Běnzūn