位於山西五臺縣東北、高居海拔兩千四百八十五公尺至三千五十八 公左右的五臺山，是中國歷朝頂禮膜拜的佛教聖地。高山之上，無以計 數的寺宇相繼創立，多為歷朝敕建，此與龐大的國家權力有著相當程度 的關係。明代亦是如此，由朝廷、官方協助五臺山諸寺院興修建者屢見 不鮮，其與皇室乃至諸權貴等特權階級間的關係，以及他們如何運用自 身的公、私權力於五臺山諸寺院之建築材料的取得與調度上，包括浩大 艱鉅的高山運輸工程等，於本文均有諸多具體的舉證與檢討。而五臺山 諸寺院興修建所需之木材、銅、鐵等建材之取得，對鄰近手工業的發展 確實起了促進之功，但木材的大量伐取與銅、鐵、琉璃瓦的燒造，對五 臺山周邊的環境卻造成嚴重的破壞，甚至間接影響到黃河下游經常氾濫 的發生。

Located in the northeast of Sanshi Province, Wu-Tai Mountain is not merely a high mountain but a traditional important Buddhistic holly place in China. Actually, many temples were constructed directly by the government or by the aids through the personal connections with some political powers. The construction of temples, especially the usage of building materials, did have certain positive effects on the industrialization and the economy of the nearby area. The environmental impacts are not negligible, including the flooding in the downstream area of the Yellow River.