In Search of the Folk Daoists in North China
Author | : Stephen Jones |
Publisher | : Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |
Total Pages | : 320 |
Release | : 2010 |
ISBN-10 | : 1409406156 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781409406150 |
Rating | : 4/5 (56 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Largely unstudied by scholars of religion, folk Daoist ritual in north China has been a constant theme of Chinese music scholars. Stephen Jones places lay Daoists within the wider context of folk religious practices - including those of lay Buddhists, sectarians, and spirit mediums. Jones describes ritual sequences within funerals and temple fairs, offering details on occupational hereditary lay Daoists, temple-dwelling priests, and even amateur ritual groups. Stressing performance, Jones observes the changing ritual scene in this poor countryside, both since the 1980s and through all the tribulations of 20th-century warfare and political campaigns.