Colleagues: I have a question about the so-called “folk” religion of the late Tang and Song-what I have been calling the “cultic tradition.” From the limited perspective of Fujian I have observed a distinction between the nature of cults in the zhongyuan 中原heartland versus those in the lands south of the Yangtze, especially those littoral regions historically labeled Yue. To wit, my sense is those deriving from the zhongyuan: Xiwang mu, Zhenwu xuandi, etc., tend to have had either functional and/or directional attributes, while those from the south tended to be connected to specific place.
My question is whether those who have looked at this more extensively believe this dichotomy is real: Were the cultic deities of the old heartland defined differently from those that became part of the wider culture in the Song and after, so many of which arose in the old Yue lands? If so, how would you define that difference?
Any perspectives on this would be appreciated.
Hugh
Hugh R. Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of History & East Asian Studies
Ursinus College
(610) 409-3299
Colleagues: I have a question about the so-called “folk” religion of the late Tang and Song-what I have been calling the “cultic tradition.” From the limited perspective of Fujian I have observed a distinction between the nature of cults in the zhongyuan 中原heartland versus those in the lands south of the Yangtze, especially those littoral regions historically labeled Yue. To wit, my sense is those deriving from the zhongyuan: Xiwang mu, Zhenwu xuandi, etc., tend to have had either functional and/or directional attributes, while those from the south tended to be connected to specific place.
My question is whether those who have looked at this more extensively believe this dichotomy is real: Were the cultic deities of the old heartland defined differently from those that became part of the wider culture in the Song and after, so many of which arose in the old Yue lands? If so, how would you define that difference?
Any perspectives on this would be appreciated.
Hugh
Hugh R. Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of History & East Asian Studies
Ursinus College
(610) 409-3299
