Post on 16-Jan-2016
description
Initial Readings of the Data Initial Readings of the Data About Contemporary About Contemporary
Chinese Buddhist Chinese Buddhist MonasteriesMonasteries
Jiang Wu 吴疆 Department of East Asian Studies
Daoqin Tong 童道琴 School of Geography & Development
The University of Arizona
Introduction to the DataIntroduction to the DataBGISECAI: Atlas of Chinese ReligionChina Data Center
Assumptions of Chinese Assumptions of Chinese MonasteriesMonasteriesBuddhist monasteries are
fundamentally independent and local institutions.
They are one of the types of local institution which has been allowed to grow in China.
Temple building activities are largely spontaneous endeavors undertaken by local communities
Thus, temple building can be retreated as an index to social and cultural development.
Purpose of this StudyPurpose of this StudyChanging the paradigm in the study of
BuddhismFrom sectarian-based model to
monastery-or place-based studyIdentify various social, cultural,
economic factors (viables) and their relationships to temple building
Identify patterns in the growth of Buddhism through history
Understand the transformation of Chinese society
MethodsMethodsData samplingExploratory Spatial Data Analysis
(ESDA)Regression analysisHistorical approachQuantitative and qualitative
research
Exploratory Spatial Data Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA)Analysis (ESDA)Allow users to describe and
visualize spatial distributions, discover patters of association, clusters, etc.
Explore the properties of datasets without the need for formal model building
We believe that the temple distribution is not random
Spatial autocorrelation
Spatial AutocorrelationSpatial AutocorrelationRefers to the coincidence of attribute
similarity and locational similarity (Anselin 1988)
Moran’s I (Anselin 1995)◦Provides the degree of linear
association between values observed at different locations
◦Positive vs. negative
1 1
1 1
( )n n
ij i ji j
n n
i ji j
w k x x
Ix x
China Temple DistributionChina Temple Distribution
Moran’s I Moran’s I I=0.3951P-value =0.0015 with 9999 random
permutationPositive spatial autocorrelation
HHLH
LL HL
Local Indicator of Spatial Local Indicator of Spatial Autocorrelation (LISA)Autocorrelation (LISA)Capture local spatial clustering
(Anselin 1995)Provinces that are statistically
significant
Factors to Explain Variability Factors to Explain Variability in Temple Distributionin Temple Distribution
Linear regression
◦Dependent/Response variable (Y) number of temples in a province
◦ Independent/Explanatory variables (X’s) Population Income Rural/urban media (TV, newspaper, internet users) Ethnicity Education Transportation
ppXXXY ..2211
Regression ResultsRegression ResultsR-square 0.69
Coefficient t-statistic p-value
Constant -780.995 -2.085 0.048
Population 0.022 0.458 0.651
Income 0.146 4.193 0.000+
Roads (km) 0.001 0.420 0.678
Museum 11.345 4.064 0.000+
Internet users -1.129 -2.241 0.035
HS_above -33.920 -4.350 0.000+
Population (10,000)Income (yuan)Internet users (10,000)HS_above (%)
Statistically InsignificantStatistically InsignificantPopulation: Population does not
contribute significantly to the variality of temple distribution.
Roads (km): transportation does not have correlations with temple distribution.
Interpretation: Chinese population is huge and transportation has been well-developed. Thus they have minimum impact.
Positive CorrelationPositive CorrelationIncome: Higher income level tends to
boost the number of temples.Museum: the existence of museum
indicates the existence of more templesInterpretation: Economic growth
stimulates the growth of Buddhist institutions.
As cultural indicators, museums and monasteries have similar role in local society as they require local investment. (Note: some temples might have been appropriated as museums.
Negative CorrelationsNegative CorrelationsInternet users: The area where the
number of internet users increases may have negative impact on the distribution of Buddhist institutions.
HS_above: people with above high-school education may have negative impact on the building of Buddhist institutions.
Interpretation: Higher education may discourage the development of Buddhist institutions. (Not necessarily Buddhism as a whole.)
Future worksFuture worksNarrow the scales to country levelSeeking continuities with data in
Tang and QingIncorporating William Skinner’s
Macro-region theory more effectively
Conducting residual analysis to identify the defects in the original data collection