汉口古德寺:融合东西的佛寺

Gude Temple of Hankou:An Integration of Eastern and Western Cultures

汉口古德寺始建于清光绪三年(1877年),在辛亥革命首义战事中,僧众救死扶伤,寺院也随着共和体制的确立而壮大,成为民国时期武汉最大的寺院和当时的"武汉四大佛教丛林"之一。古德寺在很大程度上,反映了20世纪早期中国社会破旧求新的时代特点,是典型的中西文化融合的产物。其哥特式建筑要素配合西方古典主义建筑格式,再加上东方的建筑与宗教符号,和谐、优雅、静穆、庄重,极好地体现了古德寺这座崛起于中国社会转型之际、风云于中西文化碰撞之时的佛教寺院特点。

Built on the third year under the reign of Qing Emperor Guangxu(1877),Gude Temple of Hankou was one of the'Four Buddhist Sanctuaries in Wuhan'and known as the biggest vihara in Wuhan during Republic of China.In the first uprising of the Revolution of 1911,the monks healed the wounded and rescued the dying,thus the temple grew with the establishment of Republicanism.Gude Temple,to a large degree,was an embodiment of an era and a typical integration of eastern and western cultures,eradicating the old and fostering the new.It contains elements of Gothic buildings and western classical architecture,and symbols of eastern religion and architecture. Its elegance and solemnity strongly represents the characteristics of Buddhist temples during the transformation of Chinese society and the clashes of eastern and western cultures.