Acknowledgments This book is an outgrowth of research I conducted during my tenure as a visiting fellow at the Institute of Oriental Culture, Tokyo University, in 1988–89, which was supported by a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies. Subsequently I continued my research in China in 1991–92 with the aid of a grant from the Committee for Schol- arly Communication with China, and I also received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for research and writing dur- ing the 1996–97 academic year. In addition, throughout the life of this project I received financial support from the Academic Senate of the Uni- versity of California, Los Angeles. I am deeply grateful for the support of all of these benefactors. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Ursula-Angelika Cedzich, who pi- oneered scholarly study of the Wutong cult and has generously shared her findings and thoughts with me. Barend ter Haar also provided me with insight and guidance in addition to sharing his own research on the Wutong cult. I have benefited over many years from the wisdom of Terry Kleeman, who was present at the birth of this project when we were shar- ing an office at the Institute of Oriental Culture. Lothar von Falkenhausen and Stephen Bokenkamp read substantial portions of the book manu- script, which has been much improved by their criticism and advice. Wang Ch’iu-kuei’s painstaking reading of previously published portions of this study has likewise rescued me from error. I also wish to thank anony- mous readers for the University of California Press for their evaluations xi xii Acknowledgments and criticism. Liao Hsien-huei made an enormous contribution to this book in her multiple roles as assiduous research assistant, inquiring stu- dent, and accomplished scholar. Finally, it will be clear to readers that this book rests upon the work of many scholars without which this en- terprise would not have been possible. Shiba Yoshinobu, Wang Chunyu, and Li Bozhong have been extraor- dinarily helpful in facilitating my access to various archives and libraries. For unstinting courtesy and assistance I wish to thank the librarians and staff at the Institute of Oriental Culture, Tokyo University; TÖyÖ Bunko; National Diet Library; National Archives of Japan; SeikadÖ Library; Insti- tute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Beijing Library; Bei- jing University Library; Nanjing Library; Nanjing University Library; Shanghai Library; Library of Congress; and the Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles. I also wish to thank the editors of the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Stud- ies for permission to reproduce (in much changed form) two essays that first appeared in that journal’s pages: my article “The Enchantment of Wealth,” published in volume 51, number 2 (1991), and a review arti- cle that appeared in volume 53, number 2 (1993). Beijing KOREA N HEBEI SHANXI SHANDONG Mount Tai YELLOW Jining SEA Xiezhou Kaifeng Luoyang Chang’an JIANGSU HENAN SHAANXI Yangzhou Nanjing Suzhou Shanghai ANHUI L. Tai Songjiang Hangzhou HUBEI Mount Putuo Hankou Ningbo SICHUAN Jiangling r ve ZHEJIANG Taizhou Dazu Ri zi ng Lizhou Wenzhou Ya Changsha EAST JIANGXI Shaowu CHINA HUNAN Fuzhou SEA Wuyi Mtns. FUJIAN GUIZHOU Ganzhou Putian Tingzhou Nanling Mtns. TAIWAN GUANGDONG YUNNAN GUANGXI 0 200 400 km Map 1. China This page intentionally left blank .