Village Temple, Ancestral Hall And The Worship Ceremony

On 13^th January of Chinese traditional calendar this year, the ritual of the belief in San Wang (three kings) was held in Pan Village, Kaiping, Guangdong on schedule. As the most important local folk cultural activity, this ritual has lasted for over hundreds years. This article is trying to summarize the characters of this local San Wang ritual, its unique culture meanings and its social function to inspire the further study of local cultural heritage protection. The belief of San Wang, which is connecting the small villages in Pan Village through village temples, ancestral temples and rituals, forms the fixed circle of belief and follower organization. As the main body of local folk belief, the San Wang's belief and traditional village living space are composing the San Wang's ritual cultural space to display the identity of clan, the value of cultural memories, and the significance of rural economic development to the inheritance of local traditional culture, and to offer the living space for local folk art. With the globalization and social changes, the meaning and function of folk religious has been changing. As local cultural heritage, the study to the situation and changes of San Wang's belief is meaningful to the preservation of Chinese cultural heritage.