village communal religion
This chapter considers traditional Chinese religious culture as it is still practiced in contemporary rural China. It begins with a discussion of the sacred organization of landscape, village layout, and architecture through fengshui. It then presents the traditional organiz ation of social life through lineages and ancestor worship, and explains ritual practices for worshipping gods and exorcising ghosts. Finally, the chapter discusses the role of temples and festivals in the seasonal rhythms of community life.
Article presented
Fengshui - The chinese gemomancy
Although local customs vary largely, villages display a common pattern of spatial distribution. One can conveniently locate a magnificent hall gate which has been erected as the entrance of the village. Behind the gate a flat land lies as the Light Hall (明堂). Further adventure brings you to clusters of bangalow-style houses surrounded by continuous hills and mountains. Although urbanization has been taking place since the late 1980s, most villages still display a standardized form of Chinese geomancy, which is described by the compound Chinese word "Fengshui (風水)". Tam Wai Lun observes that until now, 60 percent of the villages are still in such traditional appearance, manifesting the Fengshui elements.
Geomorphology
Fengshui masters make use of specific terms to depict the fundamental configuration of the villages. In most of the cases, a village with good Fengshui refers to a flat land surrounded by mountains, while having abundant water resources for irrigation. It is believed that Fengshui helps in retaining vital energy (or known as “qi (氣)”) that guarantees agricultural production and in turn yields wealth for villagers. The back mountains, having the undulations of rises and falls, are imagined as the body of a dragon, and are therefore known as the Dragon Vein or Artery (龍脈), which retains and conducts "qi".
Natural landscapes in different parts of China could have differed hugely, but the Fengshui pattern of the villages are relatively uniform and standardized, which can be briefly summarized by four mythical animals namely Black Tortoise (玄武), Vermillion Bird (朱雀), Azure Dragon (青龍) and White Tiger (白虎). The Tortoise refers to the hill situated right behind the village, and the Bird the front, whereas the Dragon and Tiger respectively denote the presence of the side hills on the left and right.
Tam wai lun - the shape of an ideal village
In his chapter "Communal Worship and Festivals in Chinese Villages", Tam Wai Lun depicts the basic elements of Fengshui in southern China. And in the clip above, Tam describes the shape of an ideal village as an ARM CHAIR, surrounded by mountains while facing a piece of flat land at the front. The ancestral hall usually locates at the center where villagers worship their ancestors and conduct rituals; the backyard is always preserved with an exuberant forest which blocks strong wind from the village; the river carries a gentle and winding flow which facilitates irrigation. You can always see the subtle and harmonious configuration of the villages in different parts of China. Fengshui is the core that brings these elements together. Please watch the video of Tam Wai Lun to learn more about it.
Film on Fengshui - Feng Shui: Living in Harmony (A film by Martin Uhrmeister)
Feng Shui: Living in Harmony - A film by Martin Uhrmeister
Besides rural areas, Fengshui practices have been extended to urban lives. Paralleling to villagers' intention of fostering good harvests, residents in the city incorporate doctrines of Fengshui into the indoor decorations of their apartments, wanting to usher in good fortunes of wealth. Tycoons, when deciding the allocations of their grand malls and hotels, consult geomancers about the orientations and appearances of the buildings. This film was produced in 2001, but the data shown is still relevant to the current city landscape of Hong Kong.
Gods, Ancestors and ghosts
Chinese people care not only about the collective welfare of the overall village, but the vitality and prosperity of their family clan. Ancestors who had passed away are worshiped in the lineage hall, where wood plates bearing their names are venerated. Worshipers believe that their ancestors will look after the fortunes of the lineages and will offer blessings to the kin. In some occasion, images of deity which resemble those of the Daoism are juxtaposed with the ancestor plates. Suffice it to say, some descendants treat certain ancestors as Daoist immortals who possess divine power that exorcises plagues and devil forces. At times, the boundary between ancestors and gods can be blurred in an ancestral hall. Tam Wai Lun briefly explains the two foci of village religion -- the local temple and the ancestral hall -- these are the places where religious activities are conducted. Besides, some of the worship routine is indeed being practices at home. Please check the two clips below to learn more about it.
Tam Wai Lun - The Two Foci of Village Religion
Tam Wai Lun - Customary Practice at Home
An Ancestral Hall in Hong Kong - Tang ancestral hall (Yuen long)
Tang Ancestral Hall: Entrance (left) and Central Hall (right)
A remarkable example is the Tang Ancestral Hall (鄧氏宗祠) in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. The descendants of the Tang clan in Yuen Long claimed that the Hall has stood for more than 700 years, which is a cognitive sign that manifests the strength of the posterity, as well as the vitality of the heirs. Like its counterparts, exhibitions in the Hall give hint to the imperial official positions once attained by some of the ancestors. The pair of couplets conspicuously placed at the entrance, mentioning "Gaining official reputation since the East-Han dynasty (東漢啟勳名)", is just the right example. To know more about the Tang Ancestral Hall, please visit the Hong Kong government website:
http://www.amo.gov.hk/en/monuments_73.php
http://www.amo.gov.hk/en/monuments_73.php
Floor Plan of the Tang Ancestral Hall in Yuen Long, Hong Kong
Vitrual Heritage Explorer - The Tang Ancestral Hall was declared a monument in 2001 and is now protected by law. And later, the government has turned it into a cultural tourist spot and developed a "virtual heritage explorer" website, where you can find audio guides, floor plan, and photos. Please browse:
http://vhe.lcsd.gov.hk/vhe/FEBS?pageAction=INTRO&bsid=45&langNo=1 |
Virtual Heritage Explorer - Tang Ancestral Hall
Blowing Up the Handan (炸邯鄲) in Taiwan
Although the boundary between ancestor and deity may be blurred occasionally, there are still some differences maintained which can be obviously seen in the village customs and temple festivals. One of such is the corresponding sacrificial festivals. The well known Spring and Autumn sacrifices (春秋二祭) should be conducted in a serene atmosphere, whereas those for the local deities can be boisterous and populous. The festal aura of the latter can be best depicted by the Chines term "renao (熱鬧)", which literally means hot-and-noisy. The Jiao festival is one of the most important communal sacrifices, as it lasts so long (3-5 days) and involves the whole community. Please check Tam Wai Lun's clip to know more about the Jiao ritual.
Tam Wai Lun - Jiao Ritual in a Village
One example is the "Blowing Up the Handan (炸邯鄲)" that takes place in every Fifteenth of the First Lunar Month in cities and towns of Taiwan. As you can see from the Youtube clip, a strong male teenager had been chosen as the one standing on the sedan. People kept throwing firecrackers toward the naked body of the boy, letting them explode up in the air. One may see such as inhumanly crude and violent, but the Taiwanese do have another interpretation. The chosen one is seen to be possessed by the Handan spirit, which confers upon him the power that resists burns and pains. Such power implies the efficacy of the local tutelary God Handan.
Youtube clip - Blowing up the Handan in Taidong, Taiwan (2012)