religions Article Generating Sacred Space beyond Architecture: Stacked Stone Pagodas in Sixth-Century Northern China Jinchao Zhao   Citation: Zhao, Jinchao. 2021. Generating Sacred Space beyond Architecture: Stacked Stone Pagodas in Sixth-Century Northern China. Religions 12: 730. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/rel12090730 Academic Editors: Shuishan Yu and Aibin Yan Received: 14 July 2021 Accepted: 24 August 2021 Published: 6 September 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Center for Global Asia, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai 200122, China; jz1689@nyu.edu Abstract: A large number of stone blocks, stacked up in diminishing size to form pagodas, was discovered in northern China, primarily eastern Gansu and southeastern Shanxi. Their stylistic traits and inscriptions indicate the popularity of the practice of making stacked pagodas in the Northern dynasties (circa the fifth and sixth centuries CE). They display a variety of Buddhist imagery on surface, which is in contrast with the simplification of the structural elements. This contrast raises questions about how stone pagodas of the time were understood and how they related to contemporaneous pagoda buildings. This essay examines these stacked pagodas against the broader historical and artistic milieu, especially the practice of dedicating Buddhist stone implements, explores the way the stacked pagodas were made, displayed, and venerated, and discusses their religious significance generated beyond their structural resemblance to real buildings. Keywords: pagoda; st ¯ upa; miniature; China; Northern dynasties; Buddhism 1. Introduction During the twentieth century, a number of miniature stone pagodas and hundreds of fragmented pieces were discovered at monastic sites and hoarding pits located in northern China (Figure 1). Among them, a particular group comprises pagodas formed by a series of cubical or trapezoidal stone blocks that are once stacked up in diminishing sizes (hereafter referred to as “stacked pagodas,” or “stone blocks” if only a single block is under discussion). This group of pagodas is excavated primarily in the Nannieshui 南 涅水 County of Shanxi 山西 province (Figure 2), and several sites in Gansu 甘肅 province (Figure 3). According to dedicatory inscriptions, as well as styles of relief carvings on these stone blocks, they were commissioned over the course of the sixth century, when northern China was successively reigned by the Northern Wei 北魏 (386–534), Eastern Wei (534–50), and Western Wei (535–57), Northern Qi (550–77) and Northern Zhou (557–81). Historically, eastern Gansu was named “Longdong” 隴東, meaning “to the east of the Mount Long”. Once a center of Buddhism, the region is home to several cave-temple sites and numerous Buddhist statues and steles that date to the Northern dynasties (Gansu Sheng Wenwu Gongzuodui, and Qingyang Bei Shiku Wenwu Baoguansuo 1987; Cheng 1998; Cheng and Yang 2003; Dong 2008; Song 2009; Wei and Wu 2009; Gansu Beishikusi Wenwu Baohu Yanjiusuo 2013; Zheng et al. 2014). 1 Nannieshui in Shanxi, although never a significant local center in history, is located on the path connecting major political centers in the sixth century (Guo 1959, 1979; Shanxi Sheng Kaogu Yanjiusuo 1994, pp. 313–18; Zhang 2005, pp. 51–68). Besides excavation reports, and several catalog entries, there is almost no extensive scholarly discussion of the phenomenon of making pagodas by stacking stone blocks. These pagodas’ display of rich Buddhist imagery on the surface, in contrast to the simplification of structural elements, raises pointed questions about religion, imagery, and architecture. Why were stacked pagodas made? How to understand their regional flourish in Shanxi and Gansu? How were stacked pagodas understood in their production, consumption, and veneration? How did they relate to the construction of pagoda buildings and other pagoda-centered Buddhist activities of the time period? Religions 2021, 12, 730. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090730 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions