Lei Wen

3.71200 learners

Long dismissed by scholars like Max Weber as rigid, state-separated official ceremonies, medieval Chinese state rituals are reexamined in *Beyond the Suburbs and Temples*. This work challenges the long-held view that imperial sacrifices—such as suburban worship, ancestral temple rites, and Yue Du mountain-water rituals—were disconnected from ordinary people’s personal beliefs. Focusing on the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, it reveals how state rituals absorbed folk religious traits, like the personification of natural gods, idol worship, and local shrine practices, creating a shared belief system between rulers and the masses. The book explores key cases: the secularization of the Houtu Earth Goddess cult, the transformation of Confucian temples into popular prayer sites, the fusion of imperial ancestor worship with Taoism and Buddhism, and rain prayer practices that united state rites, religion, and folk faith to reinforce legitimacy and integrate societies. By bridging ritual studies and religious history, it offers a nuanced take on medieval China’s state-society interactions through faith.

Duan Zhiqiang

3.8490 learners

Old Temple New Gods takes readers on a vivid journey through the evolving rituals of Confucian temple enshrinement during the Qing Dynasty, unpacking how this ancient institution shifted to navigate political upheaval and cultural change. Starting with the dual public-private role of Confucian temples—serving as state tools for social order and professional shrines for scholar-officials—the book traces key turning points: from Emperor Yongzheng’s massive expansion of enshrined scholars to Daoguang’s crackdown on overcrowding, and finally to the fiery late-Qing debate over honoring Ming loyalists Gu Yanwu, Huang Zongxi, and Wang Fuzhi. It reveals fierce clashes between conservatives, reformers, and revolutionaries, showing how the Qing court tried to co-opt these unorthodox thinkers to legitimize constitutional reform and preserve traditional culture, even as their ideas were weaponized by opposing factions. This isn’t just a story of rituals; it’s a window into a dying dynasty’s desperate struggle to redefine orthodoxy amid crisis.