Baojuan (Precious Scrolls) and Festivals in the Temples of Local Gods in Changshu, Jiangsu

Rostislav Berezkin. “Baojuan (Precious Scrolls) and Festivals in the Temples of Local Gods in Changshu, Jiangsu.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 206 (2019.12): 115-175.

白若思。〈江蘇省常熟市寶卷與地方神廟的廟會〉。《民俗曲藝》206 (2019.12): 115-175。

Abstract

Rural areas around Changshu city in Jiangsu preserve strong religious traditions of worship of numerous local tutelary deities which can be traced back to the imperial period. This worship takes the form of festivals at village temples, often coinciding with communal spring celebrations. Baojuan, prosimetric vernacular texts recited by the local professional performers for lay audiences, constitute a common practice of worship of local deities in Changshu. This storytelling is locally known as “telling scriptures” (jiangjing) and makes a specific cultural tradition of the Changshu area. Baojuan narrating stories of local tutelary deities are often performed at temple festivals, thus making a significant contribution to the variety of ritual and entertainment during these communal events. Though the worship of local deities in southern Jiangsu already has attracted the attention of scholars, there is still little specialized research on modern village temple festivals in Changshu and related narrative literature. This study, based on the author’s fieldwork observations and local written sources (preserved in Chinese libraries), attempts to demonstrate the functions of baojuan performances during these temple festivals. They combine ritual function with didactics and entertainment. Though not easy to date, baojuan in Changshu narrate hagiographies of local deities the details of which can be traced to late imperial sources. Today baojuan texts about local tutelary deities constitute an important part of religious culture in Changshu and shed light on the transmission of popular beliefs in the modern period.

常熟市周圍鄉村地區至今仍保留許多地方保護神崇拜的習俗，這些神來源可以追溯到宋元明清時期。地方保護神崇拜經常以鄉村廟宇的廟會形式出現；而常熟地區的很多廟會沿襲古代「春社」的傳統。寶卷作為通俗講唱底本，寶卷講唱在常熟被稱「講經」或「宣卷」，早已成為當地朝拜地方神常見的方式。常熟的「講經」由當地專業性的藝人「講經先生」為民眾講唱。「講經」經常與其他儀式、娛樂活動，如道教儀式、戲曲、舞蹈，在廟會上同時出現。江蘇南部地方神崇拜歷史早已引起學者的興趣，但是常熟當代農村廟會文化的專題研究甚少。作者親自在常熟觀察了幾次廟會上「講經」並在當地圖書館查了相關的歷史資料。此論文基於作者田野調查結果以及地方歷史文獻資料結合，探討寶卷講唱在常熟廟會上的功能。在當地寶卷講唱是一種儀式相容娛樂功能的活動。雖然很難確定其形成年代，寶卷文本是重要的講述地方神傳說故事的資料，作為地方文化的重要部分以及當地傳播民間信仰一種方式。

Also in Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore:

白若思。〈中國戲曲在俄羅斯傳播和影響(1788-1990)〉。《民俗曲藝》191 (2016.3): 109-51。

Rostislav Berezkin. “The Spread and Influence of Chinese Musical Drama in Russia (1788-1990).” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 191 (2016.3): 109-51.

http://ritualtheatreandfolkloreat.blogspot.tw/2016/04/1788-1990.html

Rostislav Berezkin. “On the Survival of the Traditional Ritualized Performance Art in Modern China: A Case of Telling Scriptures by Yu Dingjun in Shanghu Town Area of Changshu City in Jiangsu Province.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 181 (2013.9): 167-222.

白若思。〈談宗教性講唱文學在當代中國的傳承與創造：以江蘇省常熟市尚湖鎮余鼎君「講經宣卷」為例〉。《民俗曲藝》181 (2013.9): 167-222。

http://ritualtheatreandfolkloreat.blogspot.tw/2013/12/on-survival-of-traditional-ritualized.html