Chapter 14 The Rise of Spirit-Writing Cults in Chaozhou: Reassessing the Role of Charitable Halls
In: Communicating with the GodsSearch for other papers by Guoping Li[國平 李] in
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Abstract
This chapter reassesses one significant type of spirit-writing organization, the charitable hall (shantang 善堂 or shanshe 善社), in Chaozhou 潮州, Guangdong 廣東 province, and offers an overview of the varied forms of local spirit-writing cults. It aims to correct two misleading tendencies in previous studies: namely, to view all charitable halls as belonging to a single type, and also to examine spirit-writing by focusing solely on charitable halls. Chaozhou charitable halls were established by a variety of actors through differing activities, while not all spirit-writing groups evolved into charitable halls. This study divides these halls into four types, discusses the distinctions between these four types of charitable halls, and explores the role of spirit-writing within them. This reassessment and classification provide a glimpse into how the nineteenth century spirit-writing movement flourished in Chaozhou.