Taoism and popular religion in southeast China: History and revival

Religious observances around the principal cults of Southeast China have revived considerably since 1979. This dissertation examines the history and contemporary observances of three prominent cults in Fujian. These are the cults of Baosheng Dadi, Qingshui Zushi, and Guangze Zunwang. My purpose is first to demonstrate the fundamental role of Taoism in the historical development of regional cults, and then to analyze the role of the Taoist liturgical framework in structuring current popular worship in these cults. I argue that Taoism provided the means for liberating cults from localistic isolation by writing scriptures for local deities, incorporating them in a universal pantheon, and providing a ritual framework for their worship that shows remarkable unity across China.;Chapter One describes the process of "Taoist enfeoffment" of a local god, and charts the geographic spread of a cult through "division of incense." Chapter Two discusses the role of god processions in marking segmentary oppositions within local society. Chapter Three discusses the elaboration of elite rituals within popular cults and elite reinterpretations of a god's legend. Chapter Four sketches the background of Taoist ritual traditions in Fujian and documents current communal sacrifice rituals.;The Conclusion proposes that Taoist ritual marks social hierarchy while maintaining social cohesion around a cult. Absorption into the Taoist liturgical framework emancipates a cult from localism into regional, and sometimes national, networks. The struggle for survival of local traditions in China today demonstrates the continuing importance of Taoism in Chinese society.;The Introduction describes the sources I collected during three years of field-work in Fujian and Taiwan. These include large quantities of unpublished epigraphy, several hundred liturgical manuscripts, holy scriptures, temple gazetteers, oral accounts and field notes. Methodological issues concern the ability of Taoism to absorb and find a place for sometimes contradictory forms of popular and elite worship while structuring the entire communal celebration. A second issue involves the role of regional cults in providing networks for transverse flows of communication and mutual support across wide regions of Fujian divided by patterns of lineage feuding in late Imperial China.