The Salt Culture And People’s Life

Taking the salt culture of Zigong prefcture as the case,using the theory ofFolklore, the theory of culture change and the functionism theory,this paper will firststudy the relationship between the salt culture and the life of people deeply andsystematically in three aspects which are the salt culture and people’s materiallife,social life,spiritual life.This paper argues that,the salt culture comes from people’s materiallife.Because of people’s material needs,the salt culture appears and has come to beendless for thousands years.The relationship between the salt production and the lifeof salt workers is closer.From salt production to distribution and marketing of aseries of social mechanisms formed in the salt production process,and it’s running inpeople’s material living environment.Production technology determines the level ofthe salt production efficiency and salt workers quality of life.In the low technologytime,the folk beliefs like salt gods beliefs and taboos appear because of the crisis ofsalt production,and spread endless.With the technological innovation and theenhancement of production efficiency,people are more pragmatic and rich.The saltculture is also closely related to the people’s social life.The salt guild,hall,festival arethe important factors for the prosperity of the salt culture.The salt guild,hall arenon-governmental organizations which composed of salt workers,salt merchants fortheir own interests and with the banner of beliefs.Beliefs on the guild, hall and theirinternal members have specification,Constraint and enhancing the cohesionfunctions.The beliefs of the guild and hall decline,and the main reason is thelimitation of their beliefs.Most believers are their internal members.So,it lackspeople’s recognition and the folk.Then,they are replaced by non-belief-basedorganizations.The guild is replaced by union,and the hall is replaced by salt industrybuild. For the popular entertainment needs and the government for the economicfactors and prosperity of local culture,the Denghui in the festivals gradually gaineda scale.There is no doubt that salt culture mainly reflected in people’s spirituallife.Niuwanghui and niu-god belief are derived from the anxiety of people on thecattle, technological backwardness and the influence of animism. Niuwanghui not only reflects the people’s spiritual life, but also has the effects of adjustment andentertainment,while expands Wangsanweitang’s reputation, increases its internalcohesion, and has an impact on the social life of the people. The changes ofNiuwangmiao explains that the production and life needs of people influence the riseand fall of beliefs. In short, the changes of salt culture is the result of the people’srecognition and self-selection, they are not only closely associated with people’sproduction and life, but also are impacted by the changing times, technology updates,the government and the elites. The salt culture and people’s life are developing andchanging in the interaction.This paper has five parts:introduction,text,conclusion,reference and appendix.The text includes the context of salt culture in Zigong,the salt culture and people’smaterial life,the salt culture and people’s social life,the salt culture and people’sspiritual life these five parts.The paper has more than57000words.