A Study On The Spreading Mode Of The Eight Immortals Belief In Thailand

The spreading mode of the Eight Immortals Belief in Thailand is quite different from China.In the early days,the Eight Immortals Belief was spread in Thailand in the form of traditional literature and art,such as opera,literature and murals.Those form are similar to the Chinese spreading mode and has limited influence.Later the Eight Immortals Belief is associated with overseas Chinese charitable organization Minglian.under the promotion of charity activities organized by Minglian,the belief has spread into oversea Chinese social networks and shown common features of overseas Chinese traditional religion.Based on the theoretical analysis of communication science,ethnic and religious identity is the cultural basis of the spread of the Eight Immortals Belief in Thailand.From participating in different activities of patriarchal associations and charitable institutions like Shantang and Yichan,the overseas Chinese maintained the ethnic sentiment,created a similar belief environment with their hometown by “moving the gods”,built Chinese temples,and even returned to their hometown to worship the gods.They also donated money to build temples,therefore,all actions has shown that they inherit the religions and beliefs of their ancestors.Shantang is an important platform for spreading the Eight Immortals Belief.Shantang inherited the Fuji rituals and Hsiu-Kou-Ku ceremony,which is closely related to the traditional Chinese folk beliefs,attracted worshippers,collected donations,and developed the modern ambulance service.The Eight Immortals Belief has been spread with the development of the charity activities of Shantang.Overseas Chinese social network is the main channel for spreading the Eight Immortals Belief.The Chinese ancestors brought the Eight Immortals Belief to Thailand,and the elite leaded community inherited the Eight Immortals Belief and established the Minglian.Then,Minglian promoted the organization throughout the internal interaction among the Shantang and external cooperation with government agencies and other associations.It also makes use of modern media like internet in order to publicize and expand the social influence of Minglian.Interpersonal communication,organizational communication and mass communication are interwoven to spread the Eight Immortals Belief.