Research On Inscriptions Of Baiyun Guan In Jiaxian

Baiyun Guan of Jiaxian is one of the largest Taoist temples in northwest China. The temple has vicissitudes since it was build in Ming dynasty, which is already four hundreds from now on. However, the unique culture of Taoism constituted in Baiyun Guan became the faith of the folks lived in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Gansu provinces. Through the analysis of the documents of the inscriptions on the tablets in Baiyun Guan, the essential of this thesis is to researching the development of the Taoism in Ming and Qing dynasty and to describing the particular culture of Taoism centered by Baiyun Guan in northern Shaanxi province as well as the social life.Northern Shaanxi province is a region with a variety of religious beliefs. During Ming and Qing dynasties, Quanzhendao was the prime Taoism which activated in northern Shaanxi province; and because of the development of Quanzhendao toward folks, the religious beliefs became more secularized and popularized gradually. Moreover, this period of religious presented the features of blending among Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, with less collision among them.The tablets in Baiyun Guan have two genres called inscriptional records and sentences respectively. There are 47 inscriptional records of Ming and Qing dynasties. Accroding to the contents, these inscriptional records divided into 4 categories: a) bulletin inscription, which is functioned for announcement or information, and there are only two bulletin inscriptions of Wanli period of Ming dynasty preserved; b) records inscription, which is for recording history of Baiyun Guan or the construction and repairment of some temples, and these kinds of the inscription are majority; c) eulogy inscription, which is set for the praises of people relevant to Baiyun Guan and is integrated into records inscriptions; and d) arts inscription, which is conclude poems and penmanship, and there are more than 90 inscriptions of this kind in total. Since the most arts inscriptions were build in modern and temporary times, the three others inscriptions are the emphases of the article.During Ming and Qing dynasties, Taosim in northern Shaanxi province, with the representation of Baiyun Guan, was developed an unique culture of religion, beliefs of people and activities of folks. The religious culture of Baiyun Mountain based on the temples, was informed of festival temple fair which is an agora comprised of entertainment, trade and activities. Practicability and functionality are the extraordinary characteristics of the beliefs in northern Shaanxi province among people. One divinity with various supernatural power and one temple having many divinities could fulfill all kinds of the needs from different believers and also can satisfy all the prays about birth, senility, illness and death for one believer. The formation of the long-term social customs and living habits in northern Shaanxi province is all relate to the beliefs of religion, thus most of the activities are relevant to divinities and ghosts.