Skip to main content
Taylor & Francis Group Logo
    Advanced Search

    Click here to search products using title name,author name and keywords.

    • Login
    • Hi, User  
      • Your Account
      • Logout
      Advanced Search

      Click here to search products using title name,author name and keywords.

      Breadcrumbs Section. Click here to navigate to respective pages.

      Chapter

      The Village Temple
      loading

      Chapter

      The Village Temple

      DOI link for The Village Temple

      The Village Temple book

      The Village Temple

      DOI link for The Village Temple

      The Village Temple book

      ByY. K. Leong, L. K. Tao, L. T. Hobhouse
      BookVillage and Town Life in China

      Click here to navigate to parent product.

      Edition 1st Edition
      First Published 1915
      Imprint Routledge
      Pages 10
      eBook ISBN 9781315123578
      Share
      Share

      ABSTRACT

      Another centre of Chinese village life is the village temple. The temple is, as a rule, dedicated to a deified mortal such as Kwan-ti, once a distinguished general, now a god of valour and loyalty; Peh-ti, a culture god and patron of tradesmen; Wen-Chang, god of literature and patron of schoolboys; Lung-wang, a rain god; and so on as the predilections of the village folks may decide. But the temple is more a centre of social life than that of religious life. To it the superstitious element of the village and the neighbouring villages come to pray for favours or to perform thanksgivings, as the case may be. It is thereby a source of considerable income. There is, however, no definite religious belief attached to the temple. It is difficult to define with any degree of accuracy what religious ideas are in the mind of an average Chinese villager. With his eminent good sense and practicality he has fused into one the old theistic doctrine and a modified form of Buddhism, “addressing his prayers 1 on rare occasions to the Lao-tien-ye, the venerable Lord of Heaven, He 33who sees and judges, punishes and rewards.” But at the same time he is subject to a thousand and one superstitions. 1 Confucianism, needless to say, is not a religion. It is a system of positive 2 ethical and political rules of conduct with a shadowy personal God in the background; and, as is interpreted by the commentators such as Chu-hsi, it is pure materialism not unlike Haeckel’s system of “Kraft und Stoff.” Taoism pure and simple, on the other hand, has never found favour with the people. What is popularly known as Taoism is debased and mutilated and full of superstitious practices, borrowing at the same time a good deal from Buddhism.

      T&F logoTaylor & Francis Group logo
      • Policies
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Cookie Policy
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Cookie Policy
      • Journals
        • Taylor & Francis Online
        • CogentOA
        • Taylor & Francis Online
        • CogentOA
      • Corporate
        • Taylor & Francis Group
        • Taylor & Francis Group
        • Taylor & Francis Group
        • Taylor & Francis Group
      • Help & Contact
        • Students/Researchers
        • Librarians/Institutions
        • Students/Researchers
        • Librarians/Institutions
      • Connect with us

      Connect with us

      Registered in England & Wales No. 3099067
      5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG © 2022 Informa UK Limited