Folk Belief In Meishan Cultural Aear Since Ming And Qing Dynasties

“Meishan Culture”,characterized by primitive pantheism and witchcraft practices,has been a unique cultural phenomenon in Meishan area of central Hunan Province(China)since ancient times.Due to limited number of rare written records and historical documents,empirical and systemic research on the folk belief in Meishan Culture has not been done in the academic circle.Thus,the folk belief is still generalized as “believing in witches and ghosts,and attaching importance to offering sacrifices to too many things”.The wooden statues and records of commissioning them and other material evidences passed down from Ming & Qing dynasties in the central part of Hunan province embody the folk belief in Meishan.They are of great significance for the research on the folk belief,folk culture,people's way of thinking and way of life in this region.Based upon the collections in Hunan Museum and the database of Hunan Statues of Ecole Francaise D Extreme Orient and statues and records of commissioning them scattered among institutions or collectors around the world,this paper strives to present the features and overview of the folk belief and practice in Meishan area since the Ming & Qing dynasties.From the perspectives of social development and regional society,this paper analyses the historical causes to the evolution of the folk belief during this historical period.With the wooden statues of gods and the records of commissioning them from the central part of Hunan province since Ming & Qing dynasties as its core,the folk belief in Meishan Culture can be categorized into the following: Meishan local ghosts or deities worship,Taoist gods worship,and Buddhist gods worship.There remain a lot of witchcraft elements from the state of Chu in the Meishan folk belief since Meishan Culture originated from the ancient state of Chu.The integration of sorcerer worship in the State of Chu and the Taoist worship from the Han culture in China's central plain gave birth to Shigong(Master)worship.As the main part in the folk belief in Meishan,Shigong(Master)is widely worshipped by the descendants living in Meishan.Meanwhile,Meishan folk belief boasts the following local and ethnic group features:the integration of Buddhist belief,witchcraft and Taoist belief;witchcraft-styled religious activities;obvious individualism,reality and secularism in the belief;family-oriented ritual activities and the unique family hierarchy layers in the “blessed name list”;the unique wish of keeping the disasters from the officers and soldiers away,etc.At the same time,from Ming dynasty to the middle period of Qing dynasty,from the late period of Qing dynasty to the Republic of China,and from the founding of People's Republic of China in 1949 to the present,the wooden statues and records of commissioning them have demonstrated the considerable changes of Meishan folk belief at different historical periods due to the development of the times and the society.There was continuous interaction and integration between Meishan local culture and cultures from other regions.The policies and guidance of the government regarding the local belief had direct impact on the number of wooden statues commissioned by the public.The change of lifestyle and mode of production resulted in the changes of the functions of the gods and the promotion or demotion of the status of the gods in the Hall of Gods.The introduction of science,technology and modern thought into this region after China's Reform and Opening-up in the late 1970 s led to a revolution in Meishan folk culture.Meishan culture is the unique cultural treasure produced and passed down from generations by the Meishan people.As an integral part of China's traditional culture,Meishan culture has great influence upon the formation of Hunan culture.Against the background of rapid social development,Meishan culture and its folk belief are gradually dying out.Therefore,it is imperative to study and “preserve” the historical memory of Meishan culture and research on its great potential for the development of a harmonious society.Meishan culture is of profound significance for conserving and promoting cultural diversity and multi-culture coexistence,pushing forward cultural openness and innovation,and promoting the development of human civilization.