The Secularization Of Taoist Statues Phenomenon Research Of Hunan Region In The Ming And Qing Dynasties

Taoist statues is the reification of Taoist culture, the product of religious consciousness. The secularization of statues is the humanization of deity. In other words, the honorable deities come down from the altar, believers integrate secular factors into them intentionally or unintentionally, attach multifariously individual wills to concrete deities. Thereby narrowing the distance between deities and human, endowing authoritative deities with a strong smack of everyday life. As the religious statues in other regions, the Taoist statues in Hunan both have the common characters of secularization and the unique cultural intension in the development process.Firstly, in order to get some brief understanding of the species, distribution areas, quantity of the Taoist statues in Hunan, an overview of the Ming and Qing Taoist statues in Hunan was combed in this paper. Secondly, this paper has intensively analyzed the form of expression of the secularization of Taoist statues, mainly from the subject matter and style. In the aspect of subject matter, this paper extracts the point on how did the changes develop in the materialness, Vulgar god,Sin really,Master and Ancestor theme,in those period,and concentrates on the secularization to expand discussion. In the style of statues, this article starts from the face of statues, fingerprints, dressed, movements, gestures and other aspects, coordinates with the case of existing statues to interpret the statues, and tries to find its links with the secular life to ensure the persuasiveness. Finally, this paper has interpreted the secularization of statues from the perspective of the statues’records which are symbiotic with the statues. Using the identity of the creator of statues, the material of statues, and the purpose of creating as the breakthrough point, and the written historical materials to highlight the practical, civil and secular characteristics of statues, thus, coming into being the convincible evidence of the statues’secularization. And, by the interpretation of the Ming and Qing Taoist statues in Hunan, the form of expression of secularization and the spiritual context behind the statues has been revealed integrally, also better excavation on the value of Taoist statues has been obtained.