Yang Xuanzhi (Chinese: 楊衒之) was a Chinese writer and translator of Mahayana Buddhist texts into the Chinese language, during the 6th century, under the Northern Wei Dynasty.
A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luo-yang by Yang Xuanzhi has been acclaimed as a prose classic of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Adopting the attitude of a historian, Yang provided complete, detailed and accurate records of Buddhist temples’ distribution in Luo-yang, as well as major monasteries’ history, architecture and relevant Buddhist activities. Owing to its description of the popularity of Buddhism in Luo-yang, the book, as well became an important Buddhist classic. In addition, from palace coups to the life of ordinary people, it presents a panorama of the capital city including its government setup and social economy. What's more, Yang used the past to criticize the present, with narration interspersed with bits of comments, highlighting the book’s role as “a mirror for government”.
One day more than 1,000 years ago, an official of the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550AD) was writing at home a biography about the capital of the previous dynasty.It was Yang Xuanzhi, who once served as a Northern Wei military officer eligible to attend the morning court.
When the temples in Luoyang, for example Jingmingsi, holded religious ceremony, Buddhist dance and music including acrobatics and magic activity are perpormed. And Buddhist dance and music including acrobatics and magic activity contributed to development of chinese classic drama. From such point, the temples in Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luo-yang have functoin of holding religious ceremony and entertainment. Paticulary when parade of statue of the Buddha was perpormed, Grand Buddhist dance and music including acrobatics and magic activity are perpormed.