Shin-yi Chao

This project studies the continuity and change in village communal religion in premodern and present-day China. Rural China has experienced a significant religious revival in the past three decades. To explore this revival, this project utilizes a case study that involves a historical cult of the Daoist (Taoist) saintly immortal, Lady Wei Huacun (251-334 AD), in a rural community in north China. The analysis first focuses on the multiplicity of religious symbolism. Various social groups, such as village-level activists, religious specialists, and state agents, contest with each other in appropriating Lady Wei cultural-religious symbols. Second, it explores the leadership of women in the rival of Lady Wei worship.