The Analysis Of The Belief On Guangong In Guangong's Hometown

The hometown of Guan Gong is located in Yuncheng city of Shanxi province. The existing material carriers about the belief of Guan Gong are the Guan Famliy Temples and Ancestral Graves in Changping, the Guan Temple in Xiezhou, and the King Guan Temple in Yuncheng, and so on. Taking the existing Guan Temples as space clues, and the historical evolution of the local folk belief on Guan Gong as time clues, the present study tries to supply a more comprehensive explanation to people's faith about Guan Gong in his hometown.The paper is divided into three parts: introduction, main body and conclusion. The first part is an introduction, including the study subject, the sources of information, the research ideas and methods, the purpose and significance of the study, the relevant literature review, the definition to the scope of Guangong's hometown, and the interpretation about the local ecological environment and culture. The second part consists of three chapters. Chapter one is about the historical features of the belief on Guan Gong in his hometown. By analyzing the existing monuments in the local temples, the paper discusses about the historical development of the faith on Guan Gong in the Guan Famliy Temples and Ancestral Graves in Changping, the Guan Temple in Xiezhou, and the King Guan Temple in Yuncheng, and so on. Besides, it also tells the legend"the War between Guan Gong and Chi You"and explains its nature. Chapter two is about the investigation of the belief on Guan Gong in his hometown. By using the data from the field survey, the paper makes a complete inspection about the worship rituals organized by the local government. With the gradual policy adjustment about the national beliefs, the belief on Guan Gong has been developed greatly, which is helpful to the construction of the belief on Guan Gong as well as on the traditional faith in the local country sides, and the legends about Guan Gong has become people's common memory. Chapter three is the local interpretation of the belief on Guan Gong. The paper studies the role of Guan Gong as the protection god, the fertility god, the ancestor god, the wealth god, and so on. The last part is the conclusion of the paper, which indicates that the belief on Guan Gong is owing to the interaction of various factors, which has the typical local characteristics. It also points out the practical significance of developing the culture about Guan Gong.