Culture

Folk Customs and EtiquetteThe Six Rites of Marriage originate from the Yili: Shihunli and comprise six procedures: Nacai, Wenming, Naj i, Nazheng, Qingqi, and Qinying. This article traces the evolution of the Six Rites from the shi class in the pre-Qin period to the Tang and Song dynasties and beyond, analyzing the cultural symbolism and legal functions of specific ceremonial elements such as the wild goose gift, betrothal gifts, and divination, revealing the dual role of betrothal gifts in the formation of marriage and family relations, and exploring their simplified contemporary forms and the issue of caili. The Six Rites are not merely ritual norms but a microcosm of social structure, economic exchange, and ethical concepts; though their forms have changed, their core logic continues to this day.

Folk Customs and EtiquetteThis article examines the City God, Mazu, and Lord Guan, tracing how these three local deities entered the state sacrificial system. The City God evolved from a moat deity of the Northern and Southern Dynasties into a underworld local official ranked alongside prefectures and counties in the early Ming. Mazu, a woman of the Lin family from Meizhou in the Northern Song, received cumulative titles through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing until she became Empress of Heaven. Lord Guan, a famous general of Shu Han, was elevated to Martial Sage through accumulating titles in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. The article further discusses the system of granting plaques and titles since the Tang and Song, the dynamic boundary between orthodox and illicit sacrifices, and the geography of belief—the City God relying on administrative cities, Mazu on maritime migration, and Lord Guan on commercial networks—revealing the cultural logic of Chinese folk religion: humanization, officialization, hierarchization, and dynamism.

Folk Customs and EtiquetteTemple fairs are composite folk phenomena where marketplaces, shehuo performances, and folk beliefs have long intermingled. This article traces their historical development from pre-Qin she sacrifices and Han-Wei Buddhist activities to the finalization of temple markets in the Tang-Song period, analyzes the regional patterns and typological differentiation of Ming-Qing temple fairs, and explores the community functions of shehuo performances, the symbolic systems within ritual structures, and the role of temple fairs in economic exchange and social integration. In modern and contemporary times, temple fairs have undergone criticism and revival, and are now increasingly incorporated into intangible cultural heritage protection and cultural tourism integration frameworks. The article argues that the enduring vitality of temple fairs stems from a dynamic balance among belief, commerce, and entertainment, and that their value as public spaces deserves renewed examination.

Folk Customs and EtiquetteThis article traces the evolution of community compacts and rule by ritual in traditional Chinese grassroots society. From the voluntary compacts of the Lüshi Xiangyue in the Northern Song, to Zhu Xi's revisions, the official practices of Wang Yangming and Lü Kun in the Ming, and the ritualized proclamation of the Sacred Edict in the Qing, community compacts always oscillated between autonomy and official governance. Drawing on specific documents, archives, and scholarly debates, the article analyzes the composite structure of compact-reading rituals, dispute mediation, and the baojia and community granary systems, revealing the historical role and institutional limits of rule by ritual as a flexible integrative mechanism.