A Study On The Geographical Distribution Of Sichuan Temple In Qing Dynasty

As the carrier of Chinese culture, Temple Fair condenses people’s thoughts, moral customs, aesthetic appreciation and national features around the whole country. The golden age of Temple Fair is in Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. Ethics, immigration, and the geographical factors made Sichuan Temple Fair in Qing dynasty a typical one among the traditional Temple Fairs. Temple fair, as a spatial entity, has its own features of time and space. This thesis aims at studying Sichuan Temple Fair in Qing dynasty from the perspective of historical geography.This thesis consists of three parts:introduction, the body part and conclusion.Besides the academic significance and researching method, some excellent researches on traditional Temple Fair are reviewed in the part of introduction. Meanwhile, the source of research and the definition of Temple Fair are also talked about in this part.Chapter One elaborates the geographical distribution of Sichuan Temple Fair in Qing dynasty, such as the Buddhist Temple Fair, Taoist Temple Fair and Folk-belief Temple Fair. The analysis of Temple Fair mainly focuses on three aspects:the activities of the same kind of Temple Fair, the different activities of the same kind of Temple Fair in space, the original distribution of the same kind of Temple Fair.Chapter Two concentrates on the Temple Fair distribution of four areas in Sichuan, which reflects regional characteristics. The regional differences can be observed through the different entertainment and commercial functions of Temple Fair. In Qing dynasty, in terms of entertainment, acting is the main activity of Sichuan Temple Fair, God-worship is an attached activity. But different places have different situations. In Western Sichuan basin, Temple Fair there is famous for its entertainment. Temple Fair in eastern Sichuan stresses acting more than God-worship, while Temple Fair in Southern Sichuan is just the opposite. In terms of commercial function, market of Temple Fair in Western Sichuan basin is the most prosperous.Chapter Three studies the distribution of temple fair in months and in number. February and June are the booming months, while December and November are the cold months. Generally speaking, in Qing dynasty, the distribution of Sichuan Temple fair in number shows characteristics of strip and particulate. The strip zone, from the north Jiangyou to the south Leshan, is the most concentrated place. While the number distribution in these areas, such as eastern Sichuan, southern Sichuan and western Sichuan, reflects a scattered characteristic. However, in southern Sichuan, the distribution in South east of Xuzhoufou and the west of Luzhou presents a relatively concentrated characteristic.The part of conclusion points out that the regional differences of temple fair also can be analyzed according to the geographical and ethnical factors. These two factors interweave together, what is more, geographical factor is closely related to immigration.