Research On Qingtaiping’s Taoism Culture In West Hubei

The ethnic minorities in South China are mostly influenced by Taoism; Tujianationality is one of them. Therefore, you have to pay close attention to local conditionsof the Taoism if you want to study the Tujia nationality’s culture, especially the study oftheir faith culture. In Tujia nationality, Taoism and folk belief always influence andpenetrate mutually. Through the study of Taoist religious belief and custom’s change, wecan explore the process of Taoism’s spread, development and change in Tujia area. Wecan understand the social effect of area of Tujia nationality. It will provide a referencefor the government to effectively guide and manage religious activities and then makefull use of Taoist positive role in building harmonious society.In the beginning of my master’s thesis, I had reviewed the research course of Tujianationality’s traditional religion and its culture in Enshi since the foundation of NewChina. I made a general introduction on Tujia nationality’s philosophy, primitive belief,religious origin and religious ritual which all concerned with religion. Moreover, I madea brief comment.In the first chapter, I mainly focused on describing the fieldwork sites of my thesis--Qingtaiping Town, Badong County, Tujia nationality and Miao nationality AutonomousPrefecture of Enshi in Hubei Province, including its location, brief history, nationaloverview, social economic and cultural status and the overall situation of the localreligion and folk belief. In order to relevant background knowledge for readers tounderstand and recognize the local Taoist culture.The second chapter was mainly about current situation of the local Taoist culture inQingtaiping Town which was found in the fieldwork. I discussed the cultural inheritor’sage composition, level of education, occupational composition, cultural structure,gender composition, composition of income and national composition in detail and soforth. I analyzed the effective factors on Taoist cultural situation in Qingtaiping Townfrom the political, social and economic life, social culture and national education. I also found the transmutation of local Taoism had two features. Firstly, the ceremony waslocalization. During sacrificial ceremony, they often explained and arranged the deities’status and duties at random. They relaxed the standard of praying ceremony and judgedthe believers’ devoutness by plentiful sacrificial offerings. Secondly, the faith waslocalization. The most important manifestation was the faith regionalization. Even if inthe same village, different teams had different faith. The next performance was itspopularization. The working class was the main body of the Taoist believers. Moreover,the deities were localization. The lord of mountain, the lord of land, the god of water,the god of hunting and the god of ancestors were absorbed into Taoism and became theaffiliated gods in local Taoism. The last point was utilitarianism appeared to beprominent. If they asked for god’s help, they would fear of god. When they couldn’tachieve their goals, they cursed and destroyed god.In the third chapter, I mainly introduced the local Taoist clans, the process of Duzhi,and partial practice magic ceremony on a case-by-case basis from a inheritor’s point ofview. I considered different clans and their patriarch were created taking overall needsinto consideration by inheritors. The processes of Duzhi in different clans wereaccordant by and large except some details.I discussed the positive and negative impact of Taoism on the local and believed weshould advocate combining patriotism with personal realm of sublimation andperfection to guide Taoist employees and followers to love our motherland-the People’sRepublic of China fervently in the fourth chapter.Besides, the idea of man in harmonywith nature in Taoist culture should be advocated to protect the ecologicalenvironment.We should advocate the rational part of personal code of conduct in Taoistculture as it could have active influence on moral construction in rural areas. Meanwhile,I pointed out Taoism had anesthetic effect on local people that it was utilized by feudalsuperstition and cults distortedly. Therefore, we must make full use of the positive roleof the Taoist culture and overcome its negative effects to serve for Qingtaiping Town’sprosperity and stability. I proposed my personal suggestions at this point. In the final section,I had objective judgement on religious protection by local government andoffered my suggestions.Based on the analysis of Qingtaiping Town’s Taoist culture can be seen there was nospecial Taoist activities sites and pious Taoist employees and followers.Thus,independent or pure culture of Taoism was not exist there. The revolution of politicalsystem, the change of society and cultural exchange among different nationalities leadedto the change of believers’ psychological needs. It determined the transmutation ofQingtaiping Town’s Taoist culture, and at the primary stage of socialism.