Exploring The Discourse Of Ancestor Veneration

Ancestor veneration, as a key issue in traditional Chinese culture, can be traced back to prehistory. However, it has been condemned as a superstitious activity since last century, hence a taboo in cultural studies. With the revival of traditional culture in recent years, kinds of ancestral sacrificial ceremonies mushroomed overnight all over the country, some of which are listed as state-level intangible cultural heritage. The fact that the once superstitious activity today has regained attention and preference really needs our reconsideration. What is Ji zu on earth, superstition or cultural heritage? Which is the more proper way to define it? With these questions as the departure points, this paper tries to probes into this cultural phenomenon from a discourse and cultural perspective.It is argued that the discursive change from superstition to cultural heritage not only reflects the social change, but also constitutes it. By adopting the notions of Discourse from Foucault, Fairclough and Lydia Liu, this paper first analyzes the constitutive process of these representative discourses that have concealed the authentic meaning of ancestor veneration, so as to help people come out of the unconscious presumptions. Superstition as a discourse was introduced into China at the end of 19^th century and gradually gained its modernity in the following decades. When labeled as superstitious, ancestor veneration also became a tool to criticize feudalism. In recent years, sacrificial ceremony as cultural heritage is just part of Chinese ancestor veneration: the functions are more political than cultural. Ancestor veneration as a discursive notion has historically been instrumental in the production and legitimization as an object of knowledge. Therefore, in order to understand the culture fully, this paper explores the ancestor veneration in a village called Dognwushan. After 4-month fieldwork I found that the ancestor veneration there is not limited in sacrifice ritual only but permeated in other aspects of life. It influences people's understanding and way of life. To the local people, its meaning is far more propounding what "superstition" and "cultural heritage" could reach. In order to present an authentic culture of ancestor veneration and make its intangible cultural elements visible, the second part of this paper narrates down stories and experiences in the villagers' everyday life. I seek an alternative narrative paradigm in contrast to these grand discourses by drawing upon Geertz's concept of thick description. Any simple mentioning of small details implies a profound meaning not in terms of judgment and truth, but as an elucidation for understanding. Hence, the essence of ancestor veneration is conveyed in a non-essentialist discourse in an authentic and elucidative way to the readers.