Touring the old temples of Jiangnan recalls the 480 monasteries of the Southern Dynasties.
Tips
history
From Du Mu's (杜牧) Late Tang quatrain 《江南春》 (Spring in Jiangnan): 千里莺啼绿映红，水村山郭酒旗风。南朝四百八十寺，多少楼台烟雨中。 — 'A thousand li of orioles singing, green set against red; water-villages, hill-towns, wine-flags in the wind. Four hundred eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties — how many of their terraces now lie in mist and rain?' The Southern Dynasties (420–589) saw massive Buddhist patronage centered on Jiankang (modern Nanjing).
usage
Always cited with the closing line 多少楼台烟雨中. '480' is not exact — it's a classical stand-in for 'countless.' Used whenever vanished glory, especially Buddhist heritage, comes up.
