Spatiotemporal Evolution of Buddhist Cultural Landscapes in Mount Jiuhua Under Secularization

Mount Jiuhua, a sacred Chinese mountain with profound Buddhist heritage, has developed Buddhist cultural landscapes closely linked to the secularization of Chinese Buddhism. The interplay between these landscapes and religious secularization is complex, yet scholarly research into this dynamic remains limited. This study utilizes historical geographical information system (HGIS) technology, integrating multi-source data—including local gazetteers, travelogues, and historical maps—to construct a database of temples and associated historical spatial elements on Mount Jiuhua. Through a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, we analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving mechanisms of Buddhist temples on Mount Jiuhua from the Tang Dynasty onward. The study reveals that the number of temples on Mount Jiuhua has undergone a phased trajectory characterized by “continuous growth-high-level stability-gradual decline”. Spatially, the distribution pattern shifted from an early multi-centered dispersion to a single-core agglomeration centered on Jiuhua Street since the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the spatial centroid of temple distribution progressively converging toward Jiuhua Street and its surrounding core area. This transformation represents a spatial manifestation of Chinese Buddhist secularization within a mountainous landscape, shaped jointly by four interrelated dimensions: natural conditions, political economy, secular demands, and transportation systems. This research offers a novel analytical framework and methodological paradigm from a historical-geographical perspective for studying the secularization of sacred mountains. It also provides scientific insights for the conservation of Buddhist mountain cultural heritage and the restoration of historical landscapes.