Ritual Opera and Mercantile Lineage

Ritual Opera and Mercantile Lineage PDF Author: Qitao Guo
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804750325
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 398

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Book Description
Focusing on the Confucian transformation of Mulian opera, and especially on the interplay between the "civilizing" effect of ritual performance and the rise of gentrified mercantile lineages in sixteenth-century Huizhou prefecture, this book develops a radically novel interpretation of both Chinese popular culture and the Confucian tradition in late imperial China.

Ritual Opera and Mercantile Lineage

Ritual Opera and Mercantile Lineage PDF Author: Qitao Guo
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804750325
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 398

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Book Description
Focusing on the Confucian transformation of Mulian opera, and especially on the interplay between the "civilizing" effect of ritual performance and the rise of gentrified mercantile lineages in sixteenth-century Huizhou prefecture, this book develops a radically novel interpretation of both Chinese popular culture and the Confucian tradition in late imperial China.

Thriving in Crisis

Thriving in Crisis PDF Author: Dewei Zhang
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231551932
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
Late imperial Chinese Buddhism was long dismissed as having declined from the glories of Buddhism during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581–907). In recent scholarship, a more nuanced picture of late Ming-era Buddhist renewal has emerged. Yet this alternate conception of the history of Buddhism in China has tended to focus on either doctrinal contributions of individual masters or the roles of local elites in Jiangnan, leaving unsolved broader questions regarding the dynamics and mechanism behind the evolution of Buddhism into the renewal. Thriving in Crisis is a systematic study of the late Ming Buddhist renewal with a focus on the religious and political factors that enabled it to happen. Dewei Zhang explores the history of the boom in enthusiasm for Buddhism in the Jiajing-Wanli era (1522–1620), tracing a pattern of advances and retrenchment at different social levels in varied regions. He reveals that the Buddhist renewal was a dynamic movement that engaged a wide swath of elites, from emperors and empress dowagers to eunuchs and scholar-officials. Drawing on a range of evidence and approaches, Zhang contends that the late Ming renewal was a politically driven exception to a longer-term current of disfavor toward Buddhism and that it failed to establish Buddhism on a foundation solid enough for its future development. A groundbreaking interdisciplinary study, Thriving in Crisis provides a new theoretical framework for understanding the patterns of Buddhist history in China.

The Metamorphosis of Tianxian pei

The Metamorphosis of Tianxian pei PDF Author: Wilt L Idema
Publisher: The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press
ISBN: 9629965933
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
This volume is the most extensive social and cultural history of twentiethcentury Huangmei Opera to date. A regional Chinese theater originating in the Anqing countryside, Huangmei Opera gained popularity with the success of the 1950s play and movie, Tianxian pei 天仙配 (Married to a Heavenly Immortal). Through a case study of this work, the author juxtaposes the complex process of rewriting and revising the play and movie against the rapidly changing cultural and ideological climate of the Communist theater reform movement. As a result, the traditional theme of filial piety becomes a struggle over class and free love. This volume features a full translation of the original play and its revision in the 1950s, as well as selected articles by scriptwriters, directors, performers, and critics. These primary sources allow readers to gain access to inside views of the contemporaries and their political and artistic concerns. "Wilt Idema is one of the most important scholars in Chinese literary and cultural studies. Few in the academia can emulate him in both the spectrum of specializations and the depth of scholarship. From Yuan drama to Ming fiction, and traditional folk culture to modern performing arts, Idema’s work demonstrates a Sinologist's dedication, erudition, and originality at its best. Tianxian pei is arguably the most popular play in midtwentieth century China. In his book, Idema discusses the play’s roots and ramifications, its incarnations in multiple genes and medial forms, and its significance in modern Chinese cultural politics. His critical insight is illuminating and his translational expertise impeccable. The Metamorphosis of Tianxian pei is a major contribution to the studies of Chinese folklore, literature, theatre, and media." by David Derwei Wang, Harvard University

Huizhou

Huizhou PDF Author: Prof. Qitao Guo
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520385225
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. Huizhou studies the construction of local identity through kinship in the prefecture of Huizhou, the most prominent merchant stronghold of Ming China. Employing an array of untapped genealogies and other sources, Qitao Guo explores how developments in the sociocultural, religious, and gender realms from the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries intertwined to shape Huizhou identity as a land of "prominent lineages." This gentrified self-image both sheltered and guided the development of mercantile lineages, which were further bolstered by the gender regime and the local religious order. As Guo demonstrates, the discrepancy between representation and practice helps explain Huizhou's triumphs. The more active the economy became, the more those central to its commercialization embraced conservative sociocultural norms. Home lineages embraced neo-Confucian orthodoxy even as they provided the financial and logistical support to assure the success of Huizhou merchants. The end result was not "capitalism" but a gentrified mercantile lineage culture with Chinese—or Huizhou—characteristics.

Asian Highland Perspectives 40

Asian Highland Perspectives 40 PDF Author: various
Publisher: ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 549

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Book Description
Volume 40 features research articles on Tibetan mountain deities, Mongghul ritual, material culture in Ladakh, Tibetan ritual practitioners, Tibetan naming practices, and lifestyle migration in Dali. The volume also has two folklore contributions and twenty-one book reviews. Editor's Note Articles Tsering Bum. "THE CHANGING ROLES OF TIBETAN MOUNTAIN DEITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: DKAR PO LHA BSHAM IN YUL SHUL" Limusishiden (Li Dechun) and Gerald Roche. "SOCIALIZING WITH GODS IN THE MONGGHULBOG RITUAL" Jacqueline H. Fewes and Abdul Nasir Khan. "MANUSCRIPTS, MATERIAL CULTURE, AND EPHEMERA OF THE SILK ROUTE: ARTIFACTS OF EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY LADAKHITRADE BETWEEN CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA" Libu Lakhi (Li Jianfu). "NAMUYI TIBETAN pha54 tsә54 RITUALS AND ORAL CHANTS" Duojiezhaxi (Dorje Tashi, Rdo rje bkra shis) and CK Stuart. "A MDO TIBETAN NAMING PRACTICES AND NAME POPULARITY" Gary Sigley. "THE MOUNTAIN CHANGERS: LIFESTYLE MIGRATION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA" Folklore Timothy Thurston and Caixiangduojie. "An A mdo Tibetan Wedding Speech from Ne'u na Village" Bkra shis bzang po. "Oral Narratives from Bang smad: Deities, Demons, Bla ma, and Leaders Reviews Bettina Zeisler. Mountains, Monasteries, and Mosques Barbara Gerke. The Social Life of Tibetan Biography Francesca Fiaschetti. China's Encounters on the South and Southwest Francesca Fiaschetti. Inner Asia, and the Spatial Politics of Empire: Archaeology, Mobility, and Culture Contact M. Alyson Prude. Pilgrim of the Clear Light Sienna Craig. At Home in the World Tristan G. Brown. China From Empire to Nation-State Robert Entenmann. In the Land of the Eastern Queendom: The Politics of Gender and Ethnicity on the Sino-Tibetan Frontier. Jonathan Z. Ludwig The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China Jonathan Z. Ludwig. India-China Borderlands: Conversations Beyond the Centre Tricia Kehoe. Ethnicity in China; A Critical Introduction Hilary Howes. Towards Sustainable Use of Rangelands in North-West China Lei Duan. War Finance and Logistics in Late Imperial China Magnus Fiskesjö. Chieftains into Ancestors Nikolas Broy. The Origins of Religious Violence Kali Cape. Eminent Buddhist Women Andrew Nelson. The Brave New World of Ethnicity in Nepal Christine Murphy. The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa the Driver Enrico Beltramini. Healing Traditions of the Northwestern Himalayas and Being Human in a Buddhist World Katia Buffetrille. Mapping Shangrila Christine Murphy. Tibetan Folktales (World Folklore Series)

Chinese Theatre: An Illustrated History Through Nuoxi and Mulianxi

Chinese Theatre: An Illustrated History Through Nuoxi and Mulianxi PDF Author: Xioahuan Zhao
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315460270
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
Chinese Theatre: An Illustrated History Through Nuoxi and Mulianxi is the first book in any language entirely devoted to a historical inquiry into Chinese theatre through Nuoxi and Mulianxi, the two most representative and predominant forms of Chinese temple theatre. With a view to evaluating the role of temple theatre in the development of xiqu or traditional Chinese theatre and drama from myth to ritual to ritual drama to drama, Volume One provides a panoramic perspective that allows every aspect of Nuoxi to be considered, not in the margins of xiqu but in and of itself. Thus, this volume traces xiqu history from its shamanic roots in exorcism rituals of Nuo to various forms of ritual and theatrical performance presented at temple fairs, during community and calendrical festivals or for ceremonial functions over the course of imperial history, and into the twenty-first century, followed by an exploration of the scriptural origins and oral traditions of Mulianxi, with pivotal forms and functions of Nuoxi and Mulian storytelling, examined, explicated and illustrated in association with the development of corresponding genres of Chines performance literature and performing arts. This is an interdisciplinary book project that is aimed to help researchers and students of theatre history understand the ritual origins of Chinese theatre and the dynamic relationships among myth, ritual, religion, and theatre.

Enchanted Revolution

Enchanted Revolution PDF Author: Xiaofei Kang
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197654479
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Enchanted Revolution moves religion and gender to center stage in the Chinese Communist revolution, examining the mobilizational dynamics of anti-superstition propaganda in support of the Communist Party's rise from rural backwaters to national dominance. Xiaofei Kang argues that religion was not merely adversary for the revolutionaries-it also served as a model for the ways in which the Party mobilized support and constructed legitimacy. In this parallel and often paradoxical process, the Party attacked "superstitions" that had long supported the foundations of Chinese religious life. At the same time, Party propaganda co-opted these same religious resources for its own political ends. Kang demonstrates that the persuasive power of Party propaganda relied heavily on recasting the cosmic forces of yin and yang that sustained the traditional gender hierarchy and ritual order. Moreover, revolutionary art and literature revamped old narratives of female ghosts and ritual exorcism to inject the people with a new masculinist vision of the Party-state endowed with both scientific potency and the heavenly mandate. Gendered language and symbolism in Chinese religion thus remained central to inspiring pathos, ethos, and logos for the revolution. Enchanted Revolution sheds light on the contemporary significance of the Maoist legacy in China through a deft exploration of the complex interplay of religion, gender, and revolution.

Many Faces of Mulian

Many Faces of Mulian PDF Author: Rostislav Berezkin
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295742534
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
The story of Mulian rescuing his mother’s soul from hell has evolved as a narrative over several centuries in China, especially in the baojuan (precious scrolls) genre. This genre, a prosimetric narrative in vernacular language, first appeared around the fourteenth century and endures as a living tradition. In exploring the evolution of the Mulian story, Rostislav Berezkin illuminates changes in the literary and religious characteristics of the genre. He also examines material from other forms of Chinese literature and from modern performances of baojuan, tracing their transformation from tools of Buddhist proselytizing to sectarian propaganda to folk ritualized storytelling. Ultimately, he reveals the special features of baojuan as a type of performance literature that had its foundations in multiple literary traditions.

Worldly Stage

Worldly Stage PDF Author: Sophie Volpp
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 168417435X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
"In seventeenth-century China, as formerly disparate social spheres grew closer, the theater began to occupy an important ideological niche among traditional cultural elites, and notions of performance and spectatorship came to animate diverse aspects of literati cultural production. In this study of late-imperial Chinese theater, Sophie Volpp offers fresh readings of major texts such as Tang Xianzu’s Peony Pavilion (Mudan ting) and Kong Shangren’s Peach Blossom Fan (Taohua shan), and unveils lesser-known materials such as Wang Jide’s play The Male Queen (Nan wanghou). In doing so, Volpp sheds new light on the capacity of seventeenth-century drama to comment on the cultural politics of the age. Worldly Stage arrives at a conception of theatricality particular to the classical Chinese theater and informed by historical stage practices. The transience of worldly phenomena and the vanity of reputation had long informed the Chinese conception of theatricality. But in the seventeenth century, these notions acquired a new verbalization, as theatrical models of spectatorship were now applied to the contemporary urban social spectacle in which the theater itself was deeply implicated."

Family in Buddhism

Family in Buddhism PDF Author: Liz Wilson
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 1438447531
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
A wide-ranging exploration of Buddhism and family in Asia—from biological families to families created in monasteries. The Buddha left his home and family and enjoined his followers to go forth and “become homeless.” With a traditionally celibate clergy, Asian Buddhism is often regarded as a world-renouncing religion inimical to family life. This edited volume counters this view, showing how Asian Buddhists in a wide range of historical and geographical circumstances relate as kin to their biological families and to the religious families they join. Using contemporary and historical case studies as well as textual examples, contributors explore how Asian Buddhists invoke family ties in the intentional communities they create and use them to establish religious authority and guard religious privilege. The language of family and lineage emerges as central to a variety of South and East Asian Buddhist contexts. With an interdisciplinary, Pan-Asian approach, Family in Buddhism challenges received wisdom in religious studies and offers new ways to think about family and society.