A Tale of Wonders in Performance
The Precious Scroll of Wang Hua in the Storytelling Tradition of Changshu, Jiangsu, China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3384837 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Berezkin R (0000-0003-1924-8535, Fudan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 670 |
| Publication date | 2023-05-18 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel14050670 |
| OpenAlex | W4377020985 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 14 |
Baojuan (precious scrolls) are a type of prosimetric literature in the vernacular language that flourished in the lower Yangzi valley between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Most baojuan texts are devoted to religious themes, often involving wondrous figures and events which can be characterized as "supernatural". The Precious Scroll of Wang Hua (Wang Hua baojuan 王花寶卷) is a comparatively late text centered on the marvelous apparitions leading to the salvation of a lay person. It is a widespread text of the southern "scroll recitation" tradition as it survives in Changshu, Jiangsu, but to date, it has not received attention from scholars of Chinese popular literature and religion. Still, it is important for understanding the origins, development, and functions of precious scrolls and their contribution to the field of Chinese popular religion. The original text of the Precious Scroll of Wang Hua formed ca. end of the nineteenth century, but the present research mainly uses the manuscript version of a modern performer from the vicinity of Changshu (ca. 1995). This narrative combines two major topics of the wondrous manifestation of Bodhisattva Guanyin and the descent to Hell. Both topics can be traced back to the early "miracle tales". Here, they have been adapted to the local life and cultural setting. The figure of the skeptical and egoistic Wang Hua who initially rejected the injunctions of Guanyin is a type well known to the modern audiences of baojuan. Thus, the supernatural elements serve the purpose of reconfirming traditional beliefs and values in the contemporary society
Art · China · Literature · Narrative · Scroll · Skepticism · Storytelling · Theology · Vernacular · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Japanese History and Culture · Philosophy
Ecologies of Translation in East and South East Asia, 1600-1900
An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics
Buddhism and Society
Signs from the Unseen Realm
Precious Volumes
The Scripture on the Ten Kings and the Making of Purgatory in Medieval Chinese Buddhism
The Ghost Festival in Medieval China
Tang Transformation Texts
Skillful Means
"A Chinese "Divina Commedia
The Earliest Known Edition of The Precious Scroll of Incense Mountain and the Connections Between Precious Scrolls and Buddhist Preaching
Having Once Died and Returned to Life
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |