This study attempts to compare the ancient Buddhist architecture of Korea to that of China. In particular it aims to explore similarities and differences between Korea and China in terms of the way statues were enshrined and murals were installed. In order to better understand the architectural programs and the design of Buddhist halls, the concept of zhuangyen 莊嚴, which expresses the beauty and majesty of a Buddhist pure land, needs to be regarded as one of the most important factors. Liang Sicheng 梁思成, a great historian of Chinese architecture, wrote, "Although China has been considered a land of freedom of worship, there were at least three great persecutions of Buddhism from the fifth to the ninth centuries. The last of these took place in 845 and almost stripped the country of all Buddhist temples and monasteries. These persecutions and the highly perishable nature of the material probably account for the total absence of timber structures before the middle of the ninth century." Nevertheless, there are a number of remains of Chinese wooden architecture from Tang (618~907). the Five Dynasties (907~960). Nothern Song (960~1126), Southern Song (1127~1278), Liao(907~1125) and Jin (1125~1234), for example, the main halls of Nanchansi 南禪寺 (782) and Foguangsi 佛光寺 (857), the Hall of Myriad Buddhas of Zhenguosi 鎭國寺, the Hall of Manju?ri of Foguangsi (1137), the Mani Hall of Longxingsi 隆興寺(1052), the library (1138) and the main hall (1140) of Huayensi 華嚴寺 (1038), the main hall (11th century) and the Hall of Three Saints (1123-43) of Shanhuasi 善化寺, and a wooden pagoda of Fogongsi 佛宮寺 (1056). In addition, nearly ten-thousand architectural paintings could be found in Dunhuang murals. In Korea many Buddhist temples were built during the Three Kingdom (57 B.C.~A.D. 668), the Unified Silla(668~936), the Palhae (699~926) and the Kory? (918~1392) periods. Although most of the buildings disappeared except for a few, some of the remains have been confirmed through literary sources and archaeological excavations. Main halls of Hwangnyong-sa 皇龍寺 (584), Y?ngam-sa 靈巖寺 (9th century). Hwa?m-sa 華嚴寺 (886), P?pkwang-sa 法光寺, K?don-sa 居頓寺 and Sites 1 and 9 (8th-9th century) in the capital of Palhae are just a few examples. The main topic of this study is to understand how the plan and design of the main Buddhist hall of ancient China and Korea changed over time. The conventional scheme of the main hall is composed of a chancel-and-aisle 內外陣. The space is thus divided into two parts: a sanctuary and a public area. There are two types of sanctuary plan, a walled-in 內陣壁, 扇面? sanctuary and an open sanctuary. The main hall of Foguangsi, the Mani Hall of Longxingsi , and the first floor of the wooden pagoda of Fogongsi are categorized in the former. The rest of the main halls of other temples are classified into the latter. There are also two types of altar plan in China and Korea: a rectangular altar and a 凹-shaped altar. The main hall of Nanchansi has a 凹-shaped altar, while the main hall of Foguangsi has a rectangular altar. Two buildings are considered to be the oldest extant ones in China. However, the main hall of Foguangsi has two characteristics at the same time : a rectangular altar and a walled-in sanctuary. The Buddhist architecture of Silla may have been heavily influenced by the Foguangsi style. A number of similar types have been identified in many different regions in Korea. In addition, similar types of buildings were continually constructed from approximately the 6th-10th centuries, although the types gradually changed through time. Material evidence to support this argument is the main halls of the Hwangnyongsa, Y?ngarnsa, Hwa?msa, P?pkwangsa and K?donsa sites. The architecture of Palhae shows very interesting aspects. Both a 凹-shaped altar and a walled-in sanctuary are simultaneously adopted in Balhae temples, and this has not been noticed by any scholars yet. There is a high possibility that the 凹-shaped altar of main hall of Buddhist architecture in Liao could have been influenced by Palhae rather than Tang.