ABSTRACT
This chapter examines performances of Wutaishan's shengguan ensembles that are not directly tied to ritual. The recent trend of using Buddhist mantras in pop music and the creation of techno mixes of Buddhist chants for sale to the general public further blurs the line between sacred and secular music. Shengguan ensembles from Wutaishan have performed in a variety of settings both inside and outside of China. In 2001, Shuxiang si's shengguan ensemble gained official approval to travel to Korea to perform, and in 2003 they played at the Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Music Exhibition in Beijing. In 1978, local musicologist Liu Jianchang and others recorded shengguan music played by 19 elderly laicized monks from both Han and Tibeto-Mongolian temples in a performance at the Shanxi Music and Dance Research Institute. Ritual music, formerly used only on very special occasions, becomes ordinary and, perhaps, loses its spiritual impact if performed in secular settings.
