Thriving in Crisis by Dewei Zhang

Author:Dewei Zhang
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Given that the bed was wide and the sand deep, Fudeng even jumped into the river to obtain first-hand data before designing the bridge. Only seventeen months later, an arched stone bridge had been completed. It was a beautiful bridge of twenty-three spans, with all its stone knitted tightly by iron chains. It would be used until the mid-Kangxi period, when the region lost its military significance.

In addition, Fudeng collaborated closely with the royal family, with Cisheng frequently involved, and took charge of construction projects on their behalf. For example, by Wanli’s order, Fudeng built Ciyou yuanmingsi 慈佑圓明寺 in Fuping 阜平 on Cisheng’s behalf in 1604. Four years later, he rebuilt Yongzuosi 永祚寺 in Taiyuan 太原, Shanxi, a project cosponsored by Cisheng and Zhu Minchun 朱敏淳 (d. 1610), the Prince of Jin 晉. Compared with the locally backed projects, these royally commissioned undertakings were more religious in nature. Of note, in most of these cases it was the result of an invitation from royal members that Fudeng agreed to coordinate the projects, and only three projects, including the copper halls, were initiated by Fudeng and then attracted cooperation from Cisheng and other royal members.

Regarding the copper-hall project, a close look at its patrons and supporters discloses a mechanism through which Fudeng’s service to the world was translated into support for his religious enterprises in a practical and tangible way. As revealed earlier, the spectrum of supporters was surprisingly wide, including all the court and local elites—the emperor, the empress dowager, eunuchs, local princes, local gentry, high-ranking civil and military officials, (salt) merchants, and common people. It is noteworthy that many of them invited Fudeng to take charge of projects or at least had certain links with him. For example, although Wang Xiangqian was not a devout Buddhist, the kind of generosity with which he backed the hall projects was rarely seen among Ming officials. Retrospectively, without Fudeng’s great contribution to the Guanghui Bridge project in the first place, it is hard to believe that Wang would have done this. In particular, it may not be a coincidence that all three hall projects were associated with Shanxi and Shaanxi, the vast region where Fudeng’s projects were most concentrated. In the case of the third hall, for example, most of its patrons lived in areas along the Sanggan 桑乾 River, the Fen 汾 River, and the Grand Canal.118 Besides, given that this hall was cast in Jingyin 涇陰, a place close to Sanyuan, rather than in Jingzhou as were the first two, it is tempting to speculate that the choice was related to Fudeng’s leading role in the Dragon Bridge project.

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