In Search of the Folk Daoists in North China

Download or read book In Search of the Folk Daoists in North China written by Stephen Jones and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2010 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Largely unstudied by scholars of religion, folk Daoist ritual in north China has been a constant theme of Chinese music scholars. Stephen Jones places lay Daoists within the wider context of folk religious practices - including those of lay Buddhists, sectarians, and spirit mediums. Jones describes ritual sequences within funerals and temple fairs, offering details on occupational hereditary lay Daoists, temple-dwelling priests, and even amateur ritual groups. Stressing performance, Jones observes the changing ritual scene in this poor countryside, both since the 1980s and through all the tribulations of 20th-century warfare and political campaigns.