Refashioning festivals in Republican Guangzhou
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Modern China
Publication Date
4-1-2004
Volume
30
Issue
2
First Page
199
Last Page
227
Keywords
Chinese festival, Common people, Guangzhou history, Popular religion, Republican China
Abstract
Influenced by the concept of evolution, the Republican regime branded popular religious beliefs and practices as "superstition," believing that the eradication of "superstition" was crucial to the making of modern citizens. Government policies not only affected the development of popular religion but also reshaped the relationship between the state and the common people. Tracing the changes of the Double Seven Festival and the Ghost Festival in Republican Guangzhou, this article aims to show the complexities of the contestations between the state and the common people in actual religious settings, particularly the interaction between official culture and traditional festivals. It argues that although new national symbols successfully found their way into common people's religious lives, helping to give a nationalistic outlook to traditional festivals, underneath the expansion of an official culture, a rich variety of local traditions persisted. By appropriating official symbols, the common people refashioned and preserved their religious traditions.
DOI
10.1177/0097700403261881
Print ISSN
00977004
E-ISSN
15526836
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2004 Sage Publications
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Poon, S. W. (2004). Refashioning festivals in Republican Guangzhou. Modern China, 30(2), 199-227. doi: 10.1177/0097700403261881