Magic Precincts: Five Buddhist Temples and How They Grew

by David McCraw

China has a million temples. Five southeastern temples—Lingyin in Hangzhou, Putuo on an island off Ningbo, Tiantai in central Zhejiang, Jiuhua in southern Anhui, and Lushan just west of Lake Boyang—became China's most prominent. This book examines the poems, essays, and stories that reflected and also won their fame. It also relates the author's personal experiences while visiting these temples in 2000. His adventures staying in these temples, hiking on their sacred alps, and learning from their monks can help us understand the mana that still enlivens—more or less—these sacred sites. It shows us why they remain, for most Chinese, Magic Precincts.