Religious Revival among the Zhuang People in China: Practising “Superstition” and Standardizing a Zhuang Religion
Ya-ning Kao
June 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1177/186810261404300208 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Population | Zhuang people, including those along the Sino-Vietnamese border, and Zhuang officials, scholars, and business persons |
| Key findings | Argues that the label "superstition" (mixin) places some Zhuang religious practice outside China's institutional framework for religion. Grassroots Zhuang shamanic rituals honoring the chief-turned-deity Nong Zhigao and his wife, and top-down efforts by Zhuang officials, scholars, and business people to standardize Mo religion, illustrate the varied strategies different actors use in response to government religion policies. |
Abstract
This paper examines two cases of Zhuang religious revival involving multiple actors. It shows how consideration of “superstition” (, mixin) places some religious practice outside the institutional framework when discussing the modern concept of religion in China. In this paper, I particularly focus on two main dimensions of religious revival among the Zhuang people. The first is a grassroots dimension that involves the revival of a so-called “superstitious” cult in which Zhuang people along the Sino-Vietnamese border carry out shamanic rituals to make offerings to a powerful chief-turned-deity, Nong Zhigao, and his wife. The second dimension is a top-down dynamic and involves a series of projects conducted by Zhuang officials, scholars and business persons, which aim to standardize a Zhuang religion, known as Mo religion. These two cases of religious revival demonstrate the varied strategies utilized by different actors in response to government policies regarding religion in China.