Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s1.t2.6

v2.c11.s1.t2.6

Zhihua Temple of Beijing, which was built in the 11th year of Zhengtong Period of the Ming Dynasty (1444), inherited Buddhist songs through generations . In early 1950s, it passed on through 27 generations. The music works were most of the transcripts of Gongchi notations, among which there were 48 notations of wind music copied by monk Yonggan of Zhihua Temple, 66 incomplete notations of wind music copied by Zhihua Temple, 56 notations of wind music and 30 dharma-vessels music copied by nun Langkun of Shuiyue Nunnery and 137 notations of wind music copied by Chengshou Temple. Some melodies could be traced to the Tang and Song poems, and north & south music from Yuan and Ming as well as long-term popular folk instrumental music. These Buddhist songs can be played either along or together as a set. The instruments are mainly pipes and the rest of them are Sheng, flutes, Tunlo, drum, Chengzi, Nao and Bo etc. Zhihua Temple’s Buddhist songs were classic and elegant, and it preserved massive music information from Tang and Song, and became a representative of north China Buddhist songs. Nowadays, monks in this temple still play various kinds of Buddhist music works.