Chinese Buddhism

Chinese Buddhism is a book by British Protestant missionary Joseph Edkins, that was first published in 1893. Giving the historical background of Buddhism in China, Edkins explores themes such as temple architecture, Chinese Buddhist geology and cosmology, festivals, and the vast array of entities that are represented in the sacred spaces. Also included is a critical essay on Feng-shui and it's development, as well as discussions about the Chinese Buddhist sacred texts. Edkins was a missionary and there are times in the book where his desire to convert Buddhists come through. However, this is a very comprehensive survey of Buddhism in China and the facts contained here far outweigh his odd polemic sidebars.