A Study On Funeral Customs And Fengshui Beliefs In Shicheng County

Fengshui practice in the event of burial is an important element in the Hakka people’s belief. Particularly, the choice of location of grave yards is an important part in the belief of Fengshui. Funeral is a complex cultural event, the choice of tombs is subject to the rules of Fengshui, which has been observed for thousands of year with little or none change. The practice of Fengshui is the way Hakka people in Dayou respect and mourn their ancestors. It shows piety and also indicates the dominant status of Fengshui in Hakka people’s life. Since the ancient times, there is a unique Fengshui culture in the Dayou village. Villagers’ houses and their ancestors’tombs are often in the same village, within one mile’s distance. In the bottom of the hills or along the roads often can be seen many upright tombs, which are shaped like chairs.Based on my field survey of some tombs and some existing literature, I will describe and analyze the cultural phenomenon of Fengshui practice in Dayou village. In the analysis, I will incorporate some relevant theories form the study of folklore. In this paper, I will particular focus on analyzing the features of the chair-shaped tombs, to project Hakka people’s thought and paradigm of behaviors in Fengshui practice. Analyzing the practice of Fengshui is very important in order to understand the its functionality in organizing the community of Hakka village, to comprehend the long lasting existence of Fengshui practice without distinction. Survey and analysis of the Fengshui master, the practitioner and vital role in the practice, is very helpful for us to delve into the cultural importance of Fengshui practice displayed in the event of funeral in the community of Hakka people.The paper is divided into five sections. In the first section, I gave a brief introduction of the topic of Fengshui, explained the reason that I chose this topic, reviewed research that has been done in this field and briefly explained the methodology of the survey. The second part describes and analyzes the various forms of existence of the Fengshui practice in Dayou village, with particular emphasis on the features of chair-shaped tombs. The third section is the most important part of the thesis. From the perspective of the theories of folklore, I analyze the reasons of the prevailing existence of Fengshui practice, explain its importance in Hakka community. The fourth section is mainly the survey of the Fengshui master, the practitioners who communicate with the divine and conduct the rituals, analysis its characteristics in the practice. The fifth section is a summary of the previous four sections...