研究簡介  Introduction

During the 19th century, Haichuang Buddhist Temple was better known to Westerners than any other similar establishment in Canton (Guangzhou). That familiarity stemmed from the temple’s regular use as a venue for a variety of Chinese-Western contacts. It was also during this period that a new generation of Buddhist priests with Christian knowledge developed in Canton. I firmly believe that only a comprehensive investigation exploring the temple’s interrelated roles in religion, literature, recreation and diplomacy can properly highlight its pivotal significance in Chinese-Western relations and reveal the full picture of how those relations developed. It is in this sense that the proposed project constitutes unique research on the temple.

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This project will also represent the first China-, human activity- and literature-centred research on Haichuang Temple: a China-centred viewpoint to reveal the actual situation of China-Western contacts, with the Haichuang priests serving as the backdrop and first-hand Chinese-Western sources collected to rewrite its largely unknown history. My research exploring Protestant missionary Robert Morrison’s (1782-1834) connections with the temple confirms that only in-depth original research pursuing such an innovative approach can shed new light on four major and largely unexplored academic issues directly related to the Canton Trade and Christianity in China: the spiritual life of Westerners in Canton, the semi-official role of a provincial non-institutional organisation in handling Western affairs, Buddhist-Protestant (including Anglican) first encounters and exchanges, and the social networks of Canton Buddhist establishments.

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To successfully tackle these issues, the project will comprise three parts: (1) analysis, from the perspective of religious tourism, of descriptions of the temple written by local and Western visitors and elaboration of Haichuang’s accommodation strategies; (2) examination of the temple’s local and overseas connections in alignment with the Canton Trade and features of its semi-official roles; and (3) investigation of Protestants’ exchanges with the Buddhist priests and the latter’s differing attitudes towards Christianity. A large database comprising detailed information on the Haichuang inhabitants and literature will be created to serve as a multi-functional platform to implement all of the research activities.

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The project’s long-term impacts lie in: (1) constituting the first comprehensive research on Haichuang Temple, (2) providing valuable reference materials for teaching and research in multiple disciplines related to Chinese historical studies, (3) creating a new platform for regional and international collaborative research, and (4) resulting in an extensive range of research and educational activities of benefit to young researchers and the public at large.