Taishanshigandang Customs
01 · Historical Records
The Shigandang custom originated in the worship of numinous stones in antiquity, and has gone through three stages: the emergence of the early Shigandang, its mutation, and its flourishing. After the Ming dynasty, the Shigandang belief became closely bound up with the worship of Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak, developing from "Shigandang" into "Taishan Shigandang"; its functions also shifted from the earliest "guarding the dwelling" to "dissolving evil influences", and further to "curing illness", "door god", "exorcising evil" and "sheltering from the wind". In the course of historical evolution, the myths and legends about Shigandang have been enacted in many different versions in different places.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Its main form of expression is a small stone tablet (or small stone figure) erected at a strategic point on a bridge or road, or set into the wall of a house, carved (or written) with characters such as "Shigandang" or "Taishan Shigandang" in order to suppress evil omens. This custom is very popular among the people. The "auspicious and peaceful culture" embodied by Taishan Shigandang reflects the universal human longing for peace and tranquility, as well as the humanistic spirit and cultural creativity of the Chinese nation. The Taishan Shigandang custom has continued unbroken for a thousand years, mainly because it is combined with the belief that "the souls of the Chinese return to Mount Tai", and also because it has been integrated with folk beliefs and folk culture in different places; on this basis it has acquired cultural traditions rooted in the relevant communities and groups, and has been handed down from generation to generation.
Guardian stones at bridges and crossings
Small stelae or stone figures inscribed with the name are set at bridgeheads or built into walls to hold back misfortune.
From warding the house to guarding against wind
After the Ming the name joined Mount Tai worship and its remit widened from protecting the household to warding off harm, illness and wind.
From stone worship to Mount Tai belief
The custom grew from ancient stone worship through budding, mutation and flourishing stages before joining the cult of Mount Tai in the Ming.
Radiating outward from Mount Tai
Centred on Mount Tai in Shandong, the custom spread nationwide and onward to Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and overseas Chinese communities.
The belief that the soul returns to Tai
Its endurance rests on the shared belief that souls return to Mount Tai, merging with local faiths and taking root in particular communities.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The "Shigandang" custom is distributed over a very wide area, centered on the Mount Tai region of Shandong and gradually spreading throughout the country (including Taiwan Province and minority areas), as well as to Japan and Korea in East Asia, to Southeast Asia, and to overseas Chinese communities around the world.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Shigandang belief has been accepted by the vast regions and numerous ethnic groups of China and has spread far overseas; from one perspective it reflects the historical continuity of Chinese civilization, and therefore has the unique value of witnessing the vitality of the cultural traditions of the Chinese nation. In the course of its spread across wide areas at home and abroad, the Shigandang belief has produced a large number of exquisite stone carvings and statues, which possess not only aesthetic and artistic value but are also important historical relics. The Shigandang myths handed down orally among the people, and the related operas and folk vocal art forms created by folk artists, fully demonstrate the creativity of folk culture and art. Excavating, rescuing and protecting the Shigandang custom, and carrying forward the culture of peace it embodies, are of great importance for strengthening the cultural identity of the Chinese nation, promoting the great cause of national reunification, and enhancing ethnic unity and social cohesion.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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