Question

True or false:

A. The pagoda and pailou (memorial arch) now associated with Chinese architecture were originally introduced to China from Japan.
B. The finest remaining examples of elegantly bracketed wood temples in the Tang style (China, 618-907) are found outside of China.

Answer

A. False. The pagoda and pailou structural forms arose from the influence of Indian Buddhism.

B. True. The concept of permanence in building, introduced with Buddhism from India, took better root in Japan than China. In particular,
some temples in Nara, Japan, such as the Golden Hall — Toshodai-ji Temple (built after 759) — have been reconstructed over the centuries with great reverence to the original. Originally constructed on the Chinese model during the Tang period, this Japanese building is a better example of the Chinese Tang-style temple than any that exists today in China.