The Ming Prince and Daoism

Institutional Patronage of an Elite

Bibliographic Data

ID19974880
AuthorsRichard G Wang (0000-0002-9186-1919, corresponding author)
Year2012
Pages301
Publication date2012-08-14
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueThe Ming prince and Daoism (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199767687.001.0001
OpenAlexW4232064137
Open LibraryOL25223343M
ISBN9780199767687
LanguageEN
Citations received18

This book argues that while the promotion of Daoism was a national policy of the Ming (1368–1644) court, the activities and maintenance of local Daoist institutions were the result of royal support from the Ming princes (wang) enfeoffed in provinces. Barred from any serious political or military engagement due to the fanjin ("restrictions towards princes") system, the Ming princes were ex officio managers of state rituals at the local level, with Daoist priests as key performers, and for this reason they became very closely involved in Daoist clerical and liturgical life. In addition, as the regional overlords, the Ming princes saw financing and organizing temple affairs and rituals, patronizing Daoist priests, or collecting and producing Daoist books as a chance to maintain their influence and show off their power. The prosperity of Daoist institutions also demonstrated the princes' political success. Like the Six Dynasties Southern aristocrats, or the local elites in Jiangxi and Jiangnan in late imperial times, the Ming princes were subordinated to a higher authority. By aligning themselves in this way with local religious traditions, including Daoism, spiritually as well as politically, the Ming princes ensured themselves a place on the winning side. This kind of enforced relinquishment of autonomy turned many members of Ming princedoms to the spiritual planes not completely controlled by the Confucian state ideology and scholar-officials. In presenting the role the Ming princes played in local religion, this book shows that the princedom served to mediate between the official religious policy and the commoners' interests

Ancient history · Archaeology · China · Consecration · Emperor · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Power (physics) · Promotion (chess) · Prosperity · State (computer science) · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Religious studies · Hof · Mingdynastie · Princes · Religious life · Taoism and state · Taoismus

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