Chinese Paradox: Where are Chinese Monuments?

Abstract

The bareness of the Chinese monumental landscape is the result of various factors, the analysis of which deserves an inquiry into Chinese modus vivendi. Daoist imprimatur and its recognition of nature’s superiority is but one. Buddhist sectarianism, Chinese fluid conception of time, Chinese iconoclasm, are phenomena that, largely, have concurred on creating a periodic tabula rasa of cultural heritage. Making sense of this is simply to recognize that artistic representations are not only metaphors for understanding social dynamics, but also a magnifying glass on the relation between people and their past.