ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses post-war changes in traditional religious practices in Taiwan, seen as responses to other changes ongoing in Taiwan society. It suggests that four major transformations in Taiwan society since 1945: increasing wealth, specific differences in government policy from previous periods, increasing education, and increasing mobility. Central to the relation of money to religion is, of course, the financial state of religious institutions themselves. The general process is entirely traditional: Individuals can build prestige and religious merit through contributions to public religion. Traditional religion, particularly in northern and central Taiwan, had included feasting systems whereby participating areas would celebrate the same festival on different days, each participating area taking its turn at providing a feast for all the others. The post-war period has seen an enormous increase in individual mobility in Taiwan, ranging from moving to Kaohsiung to take a factory job to driving to Taipei on a shopping expedition.
