ABSTRACT

My fieldwork in Taiwan has led me to discuss and speculate on the extent to which Tudi Gong connotations and functions vary according to the location over which he presides and the territory he is protecting, thus indicating a different angle of the multifarious Taiwanese attachments to and senses of Tudi Gong. Figure 4.1 shows the various Tudi Gong sites and connections as they have gradually appeared in the collection of my ethnographic data. I would suggest – as I was often reminded by my raconteurs – that these can be located on the two main territories/domains/worlds that so greatly characterise Chinese culture: the Yin and Yang. Tudi Gong may be regarded as ‘the spirit of the Yin and Yang worlds’ (yin yang liang jie zhi shen). Tudi Gong: the spirit of the Yin and Yang worlds.

Tudi Gong: the spirit of the Yin and Yang worlds

The Yang characteristic:

The Yin characteristic:

Urban neighbourhoods and rural villages

Tombs

Shops, restaurants and offices

Funerals

Factories

Farmlands

Connection with Chenghuang, Dazhong Ye and Youying Gong

Domestic dwellings

Association with gambling and prostitution

Temples

Taxi, cars and recreational areas