Han Buddhism in China,Chinese Han Buddhism

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Han Buddhism emerged during the Han Dynasty, and has its roots in magic, much like Taoism upon its conception, and was popular predominantly in the royal family and aristocracy. This differed from the version of Buddhism studied during the Three Kingdoms Period.

Han Buddhism refers to the Buddha's religion spreading in Han dominated areas and mingling with the Han culture. Buddhism formally spread into China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), although there are historical records indicating Buddhist missionaries came to China during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386 - 589), Buddhism grew rapidly due to adherence and belief in the religion by emperors. In the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the famous Yungang Caves and Longmen Caves were hewn, and the Buddhist population amounted up to 2 million. Up to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557), official figures put the Buddishm figures at more than 4 million.

The number of temples climaxed to 1768 and with as many as 24,000 monks and nuns. Monks were to become a new class in China and Buddhism took a firm hold on the country. Buddhism continued to flourish during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the now famous Longmen Grottoesand Yungang Caves were constructed during this period.

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Han Buddhism