Chan, Garden, and Poetry: The Tidal Sounds in the Changshou Monastery Garden of Canton in the Qing Dynasty
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis article examines the relationship between the Garden of Changshou Monastery in Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty and Buddhist concepts. Through analyzing historical materials such as maps, photographs, woodblock prints, and textual sources, the article investigates the garden features and literati gatherings during the gardening process, as well as how Dashan integrated Chan Buddhism, garden construction, and poetry. The study suggests that Chan Buddhism secularized in its relationship with literati, jointly influencing the Garden construction of the monastery. Dashan utilized his understanding of Chan Buddhism, literati behavior, and travel experiences to shape the unique spatial layout of Changshou Monastery's garden by leveraging the characteristics of tidal water.
The article is characterized by a clear theme, meticulous research, and an intriguing conclusion. However, some adjustments in expression logic could enhance the clarity of the analysis, for example:
1. Considering the narrative logic of the core content of the article, the title "Chan, Gardens, Poetry" could be adjusted to "Chan, Gardens, Poetry" to better align with the logical sequence of the conclusion.
2. Care should be taken in designing subheadings. Typically, subheadings summarize the core of chapter content or emphasize important points. Using simple neutral nouns such as "Da Shan" and "Half-Sail and Echoing Spring" might not convey the core points of the chapters.
3. The Introduction section does not directly point out the research problem but instead appears in the second chapter. It's suggested to bring forward the research questions. Additionally, the introduction could supplement whether the utilization of tides phenomenon is common in Guangzhou gardens and its relation to the geographical environment, whether temple gardens are also affected, and if Changshou Monastery is an exception, its uniqueness should be highlighted. The fact that Changshou Monastery no longer exists should be explicitly mentioned, which related to the analysis materials available to the author. The literature review should clearly point out the characteristics, innovative points, or research value of the author's study, while the content of research methods and case selection could be appropriately strengthened.
4. Regarding Dashan, some additional points could be included. Did his experience in Vietnam directly or indirectly influence his use of tidal water in garden construction? Does the presence of "mountain and water" in his name indicate a personal preference to landscapes or gardens?
5. Pay attention to punctuation format, especially incorrect formats for double quotation marks.
6. Word count does not need to be stated in the introduction (700).
7. Line 73, "ingenious thoughts" should explicitly mention its source.
8. Line 133, "jishi yanchan" can be supplemented with Chinese characters.
9. Considering the large amount of Chinese in the text, strive for uniform expression, such as Line 104, "Qu Dajun (屈大均, 1630-1696)".
10. In the Abstract, "yiyi shichan" could be placed in parentheses, making it easier for comprehension.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
The English is fine, but some details about how to adding Chinese characters have to be modified.
Author Response
Thank you for your comments of our manuscript entitled “Chan, Garden, and Poetry: The Tidal Sounds in the Changshou Monastery Garden of Canton in the Qing Dynasty” (religions-2911552). We have made corrections that we hope to meet with approval, and we submitted the revised version online. The revisions in the paper and the response to the reviewers’ comments are as follow.
Responds to reviewer #1’s comments：
- Considering the narrative logic of the core content of the article, the title "Chan, Gardens, Poetry" could be adjusted to "Chan, Gardens, Poetry" to better align with the logical sequence of the conclusion.
Response 1:
Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. The title has been revised to “Chan, Garden, and Poetry: The Tidal Sounds in the Changshou Monastery Garden of Canton in the Qing Dynasty.”
- Care should be taken in designing subheadings. Typically, subheadings summarize the core of chapter content or emphasize important points. Using simple neutral nouns such as "Da Shan" and "Half-Sail and Echoing Spring" might not convey the core points of the chapters.
Response 2:
Agree. The subheadings have been revised.
“2. Chan Encounters: Dashan and the Construction of Garden” (line133).
“2.1. The Life experiences of Dashan and his Chan Buddhist Concepts” (line 135).
“2.2. The Construction of the Changshou Monastery and its Garden” (line 184)
“2.3. Interprets Chan through the I Ching: The Caodong Concept in Garden Making” (line 275)
“3. The Sensory Garden: Manifestation and Significance of Tides” (line 318).
“3.1. Metaphorically Represents the Sea: Half-Sail and Echoing Spring” (line 319).
- The Introduction section does not directly point out the research problem but instead appears in the second chapter. It's suggested to bring forward the research questions. Additionally, the introduction could supplement whether the utilization of tides phenomenon is common in Guangzhou gardens and its relation to the geographical environment, whether temple gardens are also affected, and if Changshou Monastery is an exception, its uniqueness should be highlighted. The fact that Changshou Monastery no longer exists should be explicitly mentioned, which related to the analysis materials available to the author. The literature review should clearly point out the characteristics, innovative points, or research value of the author's study, while the content of research methods and case selection could be appropriately strengthened.
Response 3:
We have reorganized the introduction section of the article. A summary of the issues and research problems addressed in the article is now placed after the literature review in lines 83-86. At the beginning, we explain the geographical environment of Guangzhou, the general overview of garden construction influenced by tides, the demolition of Changshou Monastery Garden, and why it is worth studying (lines 22-37). In the methodology section, we emphasize the uniqueness of Changshou Monastery Garden and employ the concept of “traces” to analyze literature concerning the lost garden, highlighting important sources and explaining their types and usage (lines 87-117). The literature review has been expanded to further clarify the research contribution, objectives, and significance of this study (lines 71-82, 118-132). We have moved the discussion regarding tides and Buddhist sounds from the introduction to section 3.1, specifically dedicated to discussing tidal sounds (lines 358-377).
- Regarding Dashan, some additional points could be included. Did his experience in Vietnam directly or indirectly influence his use of tidal water in garden construction? Does the presence of "mountain and water" in his name indicate a personal preference to landscapes or gardens?
Response 4:
We supplemented specific information about Dashan’s trip to Dang Trong and its impact on the Changshou Monastery Garden (lines 450-460). We have not found more precise literature regarding the significance of Dashan’s name, as it does not affect the narrative of the article. Therefore, we are not adding new explanations at the moment.
- Pay attention to punctuation format, especially incorrect formats for double quotation marks.
Response 5:
We have corrected the usage of double quotation marks.
- Word count does not need to be stated in the introduction (700).
Response 6:
It has been deleted.
- Line 73, "ingenious thoughts" should explicitly mention its source.
Response 7:
The sources have been added (line 59).
- Line 133, "jishi yanchan" can be supplemented with Chinese characters.
Response 8:
Revised (line 177).
- Considering the large amount of Chinese in the text, strive for uniform expression, such as Line 104, "Qu Dajun (屈大均, 1630-1696)".
Response 9:
We have unified and corrected them. We examined the existing writing format for references. Chinese names should be placed outside the parentheses, eg. Qu Dajun 屈大均 (1630-1696). The format is as follows: Pinyin, Name (Year); English Book Title (Pinyin Chinese), eg. Brief Records of Touring Guangzhou (Guangzhou Youlan Xiaozhi 廣州遊覽小志); “English Term” (Pinyin Chinese), eg. “a connection to tidal water” (tongchao 通潮). We only add Pinyin or Chinese when necessary.
- In the Abstract, "yiyi shichan" could be placed in parentheses, making it easier for comprehension.
Response 9:
We have made the revisions and enhanced the readability (line 5).
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsComments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Thank you for your valuable review. We have made the necessary revisions based on the mistakes you pointed out. Here is our response:
- I have no substantive suggestion for revision, and I would recommend only two small corrections: first in line 30, the author should say, “the bodhisattva Guanyin, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds.” Second, in line 151, the monk’s name should be Hanshan, not Hunshan. I see in the works cited that Hanshan is correctly translated, so it must be a typesetting mistake.
Response 1:
We have corrected the errors you pointed out (line 365 and line 195). After comprehensive consideration, we have moved the discussion on Buddhist sounds from the beginning to section 3.1, resulting in a change in numbering.
