The Research On Temples And Beliefs Of Jian Chuan Prefecture In The Ming And Qing Dynasties

Temples(including local altar and shrine,Buddhist temples and Taoist temples)are the main places for people to carry out thier beliefs,and they are the material carriers of sacrificial culture and beliefs culture.Jian Chuan,bodering Li Jiang,is located in the north of Da Li.Jian Chuan is the cultural intersection area of Bai,Naxi,Han and other ethnic groups.Due to its special geographic location,Jian Chuan had been controlled by Tubo since the establishment of Nanzhao Dyansty.During Ming Dynasty,the west of Yunnan where Jian Chuan located was still under the control of Duan family which represented the native officials.The officials of central government were designated to Jian Chuan in the Hongwu period of Ming Dynasty,which marked the begining of the big change in Ming and Qing Dynaties.Thereafter,Jian Chuan prefecture started its reform from regime to culture under the influence of officials from central government,immigrants and military force.During this process,temples that represent different beliefs were built,rebuilt,remould or discarded,which shaped the distribution pattern of Jian Chuan’s temples now.This paper is based on the research method of regional social history,selecting Jianchuan,where gained a little attention from academic world,based on the reality that Bai,Naxi,Han,Tibetan and other ethnic culture converge there and the big change in Ming and Qing Dynaties,take temples and beliefs of Jian Chuan in the Ming and Qing dynasties as the research object,then formed the following harvest and understanding:First of all,by using the relevant contents recorded in the local chronicles,I sorted out the changes of the construction of temples in Jian Chuan prefecture in the process of the unification of the Ming and Qing dynasties through tabular and statistical methods.According to the local chronicles,the number and scope of buddhist temples in Jian Chuan prefecture exceeded that of official temples and folk temples,which was related to the attitude of local Bai people towards buddhist temples and folk temples since Nanzhao and Dali.Secondly,I collected and sorted out the inscriptions and records related to temples and analyzed them,and discussed the religious groups that dominated the construction of temples in different periods during the changes of Ming and Qing Dynasties,as well as the political and social benefits they expected to obtain from those temples.The gentry group had played a significant role in the construction of temples and the spread of deities in Jian Chuan,they used the power of the culture in the change in the Ming and Qing Dynasties to consolidate their position,to dominant social order,to dominant regional and ethnic integration,and On the base of all above mentioned,they formed the local history text that reserved Bai culture of Jian Chuan and coincide with the standard of "unification".Finally,through some specific changes of temples and deities to investigate the development of belifs and society in Jian Chuan during Ming and Qing Dynasty.The goddess,Ford-Dragon Lady,was transformed from a buddhist deity into a folk temple deity who were capable of calming floods.The popular belief of Cuifujun in the central plains of Han ethnic group took root in Jian Chuan prefecture and formed a unique scene representing the local scenery in the local Chronicles.The ancient town god temples were built in plains of Jian Chuan in the Qing Dynasty,which reveals Interaction between officials and citizens,also reflects the connection and integration of various plains in Jian Chuan;At the beginning of the Republic of China,the elites in Jianchuan regarded Renguo,the king of Baizi,as the head of the local sages,which also showed the return of the elite in the ethnic consciousness.