The Interaction and Compatibility Between the Official Cult and the Popular Belief — A Case Study on the Worship of God of the Southern Seas in the Qing Dynasty / 國家正祀與民間信仰的互動與兼容—以清代南海神信仰為討論中心

碩士 / 國立清華大學 / 歷史研究所 / 103 / In the years after the imperial consolidation by the Qin and Han, sacrifices to the gods of mountains, seas, and rivers were included in state ceremonies. The God of the Southern Seas was among those worshiped by emperors. The official worship of the God of the Southern Seas symbolized the emperor’s ruling power throughout the territory while simultaneously demonstrating the need to pray for favorable weather. In 594 CE, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty issued an edict requiring the construction of local temples to worship the Gods of the Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern Seas. Of the four, only the Southern Sea exists as an identifiable geographical reality. Because the Southern Sea God temples were constructed primarily in present-day Guangzhou, belief in and worship of the God of the Southern Sea prospered in the Pearl River Delta.

This study analyzes how God of the Southern Seas, as both official cult and popular belief, interacted and connected with the state ruler and Guangdong locals during the late Qing. In particular, this study focuses on the governance in Guangdong during the early period of Qing Dynasty, as well as the political chaos in Guangdong during the late period of Qing Dynasty. In 1820, the worship ceremony which appointed officials by sacrificing to the God of the Southern Seas was altered. This study focuses on Qing-era religious culture transformations and deals with the rise and fall of the official cult in Qing Dynasty. The study also examines the ways in which worship of the God of the Southern Seas combined with and helped propagate local traditions, continuing until the present day. This study focuses on the interactions between the official cult and popular belief, arguing that the official cult and popular belief co-existed with the tacit approval of the Qing government.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:TW/103NTHU5493004
Date January 2015
CreatorsHung, Shih Hui, 洪詩惠
ContributorsChen, Hsi Yuan, Li, Cho Ying, 陳熙遠, 李卓穎
Source SetsNational Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan
Languagezh-TW
Detected LanguageEnglish
Type學位論文 ; thesis
Format133

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