What is the role of the local village temples in national
discourses?
Local village temples in Taiwan and Jinmen have strong
symbolic importance for practitioners of Chinese folk religion. This is where
local control can be established and many local matters (such as land usage)
can be decided upon.
The selection process to the board of the temple runs with a
lot of risks and does not necessarily mean that it will be reflective of the
local population. Only those with money can really put their names forth for
consideration. The throwing of the divination stones comes down to a matter of
faith. A God may decide who will be on the temple board as many will believe or
whoever will sit on the board of the temple is selected by chance.
Stephan Feuchtwang believes that this is democracy. It is
not, only those with money can really apply (not to say that the systems in
many western countries do not have similar issues). There is also a huge risk
that the person selected will not be the person that the village really would
want to fulfill that role. There are checks and balances within the system, but
it is not very similar to democracy. Yes this is a local level of
representation, coming from two countries where the people did not have much of
a voice.
What was interesting to see was how this played out in
Jinmen and local beliefs about Wang Yulan reflected political changes in
Jinmen. Before there was democracy in Taiwan Wang Yulan was a worshipped Ghost
with heavy state support from the ROC. She was violently murdered by the PRC
and was considered an ideal woman due to her virginity. It was also important
that she was unmarried, this made her purer and more independent, if she was
married than she would be considered a member of her husband’s family. The ROC
was also sending the message that they were the true protectors of traditional
Chinese religion since the PRC soldiers would murder a woman who could become
holy.
Afterwards when there was more freedom in the ROC, many
instead believed that she was a lot grander than she was initially believed to
be. The narrative has changed since the politics in Taiwan have now changed. It
is now believed that she was an upper-class woman since ROC and PRC conflicts
are less important in the ROC and conflicts with China would be very disadvantageous
for the island of Jinmen.
The temples and the changes that occur over time are writing
political narratives on the local levels. The temples are also sites of local
power, though not local democratic power.
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