Gender·Space:an Anthropological Study Of The Feidong Yang She Latern

The Feidong Yang She Lantern came into being at the turning of Yuan and M-ing Dynasty, which has been popular around a village named Dashao in Anhui Prov-ince. As a comprehensive folk-custom of folk manufacturing process, folk music and folk dance, it is a difficult play and highly ornamental show. Also it is cherished by people for its unique image and amazing performance. In addition, The Feidong Yang She Lantern contains historical significance and cultural implication, which reflects specific spiritual belief and value of the local people.This thesis includes five parts to study the culture of The Yang She Lantern. Firstly, it states the basic information about research background, current studies of China and abroad, key concepts and fieldwork site. Secondly, the thesis shows several texts of the legend of the Yang She Lantern, to explore its spatial orientation such as "east""up-down" and gender structure. Thirdly, the paper examines the gender structure in the practices of the rite, revealing male-dominated ritual performances and taboo of restraining women in the Yang She Lantern. Then, it focuses on the area of the rite and spatial construction, showing the picture of gender structure in rite space now. At last, it combines people’s words and actions about the dragon king with the statue of dragon king, in order to figure out the gender of dragon king in people’s minds. And it analyzes the state of belief space to reveal the symbolic system and social pattern in the local society.Based on space and gender dimension, this thesis makes a deep analysis of every character in the legend of the Yang She Lantern,and analyzes the gender structure implied in the practice and belief of Yang She Lantern., to presents the picture of gender roles,gender structure and spatial gender. I argue that the clear division of gender dual structure only exists on the theoretical construction, there is barely im-passable line in real life.