Temple Fair
01 · Historical Records
The Puxian Chaoshan (Mountain Pilgrimage) Fair is a grand traditional folk activity in which the people of Puxian County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, worship Dongshen Mountain to pray for blessings and good fortune; it is held annually on the twenty-eighth day of the third lunar month. The pilgrimage palace (xinggong) is commonly called the "Puxian Dongyue Temple," also known as the "Baishan Dongyue Temple"; in 2001 it was listed among the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. During the Ming and Qing dynasties the mountain pilgrimage had already become established practice. The temple preserves the stele inscription Record of the Reconstruction of the Dongyue Temple, dated the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming dynasty (1504), which describes the grandeur of the mountain pilgrimage at that time: "Every year on the twenty-eighth day of the third month, the many community associations (she) of the county town devoutly offer the baosai sacrifice [illegible - the inscription is damaged] ..." This grand gathering has been handed down intact to the present day; among the people it is called the "Four Jiao Mountain Pilgrimage." The so-called "Four Jiao Mountain Pilgrimage" means that four jiao altars are established within the county town according to the east, south, west and north directions, each enshrining a spirit tablet of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak. On the day of the mountain pilgrimage, each jiao association organizes young men to carry the spirit tablet in a sedan tower, preceded by gongs and drums and the roar of iron cannons, while others walk on stilts and dance long dragons. The Puxian Chaoshan Fair is continued through collective transmission; the jiao organizations are called "she" or "hui" (community associations), and their leaders are known as "jiushou" or "sheshou."
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Dongshen Mountain (also called "Baishan") is densely wooded. Volume 1 of the Qianlong-era Puxian County Gazetteer records: "Dongshen Mountain lies five li east of the county, covered by pine and cypress, its roots winding on for dozens of li; on its summit is the Daiyue Pilgrimage Palace, hence the name." Volume 5 of the Qianlong-era Puxian County Gazetteer records: "The Dongyue Temple stands atop Dongshen Mountain and was rebuilt during the Zhenguan era of the Tang dynasty. "On the twenty-eighth day of the third month the townspeople sacrifice to him. "Not only do the townspeople come ahead of time, but people from all directions, regardless of high or low rank, merchants, from near and far, bring incense and gather like mist and cloud at the temple, shoulder to shoulder and heel to heel, beyond counting." A "jiao" is locally an organized and orderly group sacrificial activity; the Stele Record of the Sheng Fair of the thirty-second year of the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty (1604) also contains the record "set up a pure jiao [illegible - the inscription is damaged]." A few days before the mountain pilgrimage, the villages belonging to each jiao organize teams, prepare offerings, and hold activities in the village worshipping the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak. Everyone gathers at the foot of Baishan, then in turn returns the spirit tablets of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak they have been keeping to the pilgrimage palace; the scene is at once fervent and solemn. On the same day, various folk performances are also held. The expenses of the activities are covered by voluntary donations from the villagers.
The four altars of the mountain fair
Four altars are built in the four quarters of the county, each holding a spirit seat of the god, with village societies taking charge in turn.
Carrying the spirit seat up the hill
Young men carry the spirit seat uphill behind gongs and crackers, the bearer team and its rhythm being the day's critical matter.
Village worship and the return of the god
Days before, each village worships the god at home and prepares offerings, then files back the spirit seats to the palace on the mountain.
Stilt walkers and the long dragon
Stilt walkers and the long dragon travel beside the palanquin, turning the mountain path into a corridor with the crowd as its audience.
Societies, associations and their leaders
The fair is carried collectively by societies and associations under leaders called jieshou or sheshou, who hold the ritual and the palanquin.
The fair as recorded in the Qianlong county gazetteer
The Qianlong gazetteer records the temple rebuilt in the Tang and the annual worship on the twenty-eighth, with pilgrims pressing from every quarter.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The organizational form of the Puxian Chaoshan Fair is known as the "Four Jiao Mountain Pilgrimage": four jiao altars are established in the county town according to the four directions of east, south, west and north, each enshrining a spirit tablet of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, and each presided over by a she or hui association formed from villages. The grandeur of "the many community associations of the county town devoutly offering the baosai sacrifice" recorded on the Ming Hongzhi 17 stele Record of the Reconstruction of the Dongyue Temple is a faithful portrayal of this division of responsibility by direction and by village association. Pilgrims from all four directions, regardless of rank or trade, gather from near and far, showing that the mountain pilgrimage here long ago exceeded the county boundary and is a shared occasion of belief across southwestern Shanxi. The main bearers of transmission are the young men of each jiao and the jiushou and sheshou leaders. Those who carry the spirit-tablet sedans, walk on stilts and dance the long dragons are all local villagers; the costs are covered by voluntary donations from the villagers, so human sentiment and belief are drawn together within a single organization. In recent years most of those ascending the mountain have been pilgrims keeping the festival and villagers going in groups; the mountain road is hard to travel, which only makes this collective effort more necessary, and the structure of the four jiao has thereby been maintained.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair · Temple Fair.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Chaoshan Fair transmits the values of promoting good and punishing evil, as well as a reverence for the sacred mountain and sacred trees; it is of certain significance for strengthening the public's consciousness of "caring for greenery and cherishing ancient trees." It expresses people's wish to live in harmony with nature and maintain a sound ecological environment, and their hope for favorable weather and a peaceful and prosperous nation; it is a rare living fossil of history and folklore for the study of belief in the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Hu Wenxiang 04-1974
- Guan Zhangxun 04-1975
- Cheng Zhongxin 05-3018
- Wang Defeng
- Luo Binggen
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。