The Relation between Politics and Religion at a Tibetan Buddhist Temple from a Historical Anthropology Perspective

This article reviews the reconstruction of Puning Temple from the 1980s, including repair of the buildings, recovery and managing of the temple’s property, re-establishing of sangha, as well as its involvement in tourism and its relations with adjacent villages, based on research done on the basis of files and other materials from Chengde Municipal Bureau of Archives. With reference to a piece of writing titled “Chengde Today” by James Hevia, this article highlights that modernisation, the development of ethnic relations and the perspectives of the state were insufficient to explain the motivations behind the reconstruction of Puning Temple. Divergent interpretations arose due to different perspectives from governmental agencies. Analysis of the various viewpoints provides a clearer understanding of the role of Puning Temple after its reconstruction.