Exploring Narratives of Chinese Religion
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by University of Saskatchewan's Research Archive GENDERED READINGS OF RITUAL: EXPLORING NARRATIVES OF CHINESE RELIGION THROUGH NINETEENTH CENTURY CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY WRITINGS A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts In the Department of Linguistics and Religious Studies University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By ANNE MARIE BAYCROFT © Copyright Anne Marie Baycroft, June, 2017. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Linguistics and Religious Studies University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A5 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 105 Administration Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A2 Canada i ABSTRACT This thesis presents gendered narratives of Chinese religion as revealed through the writings of late Nineteenth Century Christian missionaries. Through a recontextualized, material and practical approach to these sources I uncover eXamples of non-elite ritual practice. I utilize the personal experiences and philological work of Protestant men and women to explore instances of religion at two well-known sites of Chinese Buddhism, Putuoshan and Wutaishan. I reveal how religious adherents, both lay and ordained are classified and depicted though a Western Protestant lens. This exploration highlights how personal and non-elite narratives of Chinese religion produced by missionary women have been continually undervalued within the academic study of Chinese religion. I propose a means to overcome embedded Protestant biases within our own scholarly tradition through acknowledging the authority of ritual, of human action, within Chinese religion and within secondary missionary sources. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My completion of this thesis is due in large part to the relentless support and guidance of my advisor, Dr. George Keyworth. You initially encouraged me to pursue this degree and have provided me with tremendous opportunities. My success in completing this thesis is due in kind to the knowledge and passion you have passed down to me. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the guidance I have received from my committee members, Dr. Braj Sinha, Dr. Clinton Westman, and Dr. Marie Lovrod. iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to my parents, Allen and Vivian Baycroft. I am forever grateful for your continued support, encouragement and understanding. iv AUTHOR’S NOTE In the instances where I have provided the Chinese characters for select proper nouns the characters used are in Traditional form. The Romanization of Chinese names and terms has been rendered in Pinyin. I have provided verbatim the spellings and Romanizations from sources that are directly quoted and in these instances either the marker “[sic]” has been added to indicate this is an alternate or different spelling or the Pinyin has been added. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION OF USE..................................................................................................................................................i ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................................................iii DEDICATION ..............................................................................................................................................................iv AUTHOR’S NOTES......................................................................................................................................................v CHAPTER ONE: Introduction................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Chinese Religion in Contemporary Scholarship....................................................................................2 1.1.1 Defining Religion......................................................................................................................................2 1.1.2 Defining Ritual..........................................................................................................................................5 1.1.3 Protestant Presuppositions.................................................................................................................8 1.2 Old Sources, New Methods..........................................................................................................................10 1.2.1 Texts as Material............................................................................................................................10 1.3 Connecting Missionary Accounts and Manuscript Methods.........................................................12 1.3.1 Protestant Missionaries as the Problem and the Solution……………………………..13 1.4 Chapter Outline.................................................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER TWO: Missionary Depictions of Chinese Religion: Zhejiang Province 浙江省 and Putuoshan 普陀山…………………………………………………………………………………………………………20 2.1 Zhejiang Province............................................................................................................................................20 2.1.1 Zhejiang Past and Present..........................................................................................................21 2.1.2 Missionary and Colonial Presence ........................................................................................23 2.2 Meet the Missionaries....................................................................................................................................25 2.3 Missionary Sketches of Putuoshan and Chinese Buddhism in Zhejiang..................................30 2.3.1 Buddhism as Failing.....................................................................................................................31 2.3.2 Monastic Mindlessness...............................................................................................................33 2.3.3 Women...............................................................................................................................................35 2.4 Missionary Impressions of Chinese Religion and Identity.............................................................37 2.4.1 The Three Teachings (san jiao) 三教....................................................................................37 2.4.2 Zhejiang as the Religious Centre of China...........................................................................40 CHAPTER 3: Wutaishan and Buddhism in North China: Missionary Depictions of Religion on an Ethnic Border……………………………………………………………………………………………………………42 3.1 Shanxi Province & Wutaishan....................................................................................................................43 3.1.1 Wutaishan as a Centre of Buddhism.....................................................................................43 3.1.2 Wutaishan Past and Present.....................................................................................................45 3.1.3 Ethnic and Cultural Significance.............................................................................................47 3.2 Northern Struggles and Mission Differences.......................................................................................49 3.3 Meet More Missionaries................................................................................................................................51 3.4 Missionary Sketches of Wutaishan and Religion in North China................................................55 vi 3.4.1 Mongolian and Tibetan Pilgrimage........................................................................................55 3.4.2 Ethnic and Ritual Diversity........................................................................................................56 3.4.3 Wutaishan as a Mongolian Haven..........................................................................................60 3.4.4 Women...............................................................................................................................................62 3.5 Negotiating