Taiwanese young scholars devote themselves to fieldwork to help people-to-people exchanges across the Straits

Liu Zhihao (left) and Lin Zhengu, the fifteenth generation of the Chinese Lin family in Kagoshima, Japan.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

Liu Zhihao gave a lecture on bamboo forest at Quanzhou Normal University where he taught.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　China News Service, Quanzhou, December 2 (Wu Guanbiao and Zhang Shaobin) "From the frequent exchanges of beliefs and customs in the original villages of Fujian and Taiwan, it can be seen that the divine relationship of traditional Chinese culture is one of the characteristics of the common emotions of the same people on both sides of the strait." In Fujian Liu Zhihao, a young scholar from Taiwan who teaches in Quanzhou, said that based on common beliefs, people on both sides of the strait can dispel prejudices and work together to form cultural identity and new historical memory.

　　In the eyes of Liu Zhihao, who has long studied the beliefs of overseas Chinese and local society, regional culture and other fields, Quanzhou, Fujian’s palaces and temples are numerous and diverse, and most of them have ties with Taiwan. They are an important link between the two sides of the strait and are also important to his cross-strait gods. Investigations are very helpful.

　　Fieldwork is a habit that Liu Zhihao kept when he was studying at the Taiwan University of Truth, and it was also the origin of his love for religious and folk culture studies.

After graduating with a master's degree, he came to the mainland to study and did a Ph.D. in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Peking University. He is currently an associate professor in the History Department of the School of Literature and Communication, Quanzhou Normal University, and a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

　　It's always shallow on paper, and I absolutely know that I have to do it personally.

Liu Zhihao believes that fieldwork is an excellent way to sort out history, dig into local culture, and relax.

"On the surface, we are familiar with Chinese history and the place where we grew up, but every time we walk into a town, we often feel very strange. Many ancient sites and customs are missing records in books. They are precious and on the verge of disappearing. We urgently need to pass. Field research to understand and dig."

　　In 2018, Liu Zhihao came down to teach at Quanzhou Normal University in 2018. He encountered the ancient city of Quanzhou, and his fieldwork began.

　　"In a field survey, I found that the Lantern Festival lantern customs in Dongshi Town, Jinjiang, Fujian and Dongshi Township, Chiayi, Taiwan are very similar, and I used this as a clue to investigate the common belief of the Three Gongs in Kowloon among the people of Dongshi on both sides of the strait, revealing the original homeland of their gods. The cultural community connection of beliefs and customs finally analyzes the significance of local traditional folk customs to the cultural identity and inheritance of people on both sides of the strait." Liu Zhihao said.

　　Regarding the question of how to generate cultural identity in the exchange of religion and belief between the two sides of the Strait, Liu Zhihao suggested that it is necessary to inherit the connection of cross-strait local religious culture, promote the refinement of cross-strait religious industries, establish collaborative religious culture folk think tanks, and deepen bilateral religious charity assistance exchanges The mechanism promotes the spiritual harmony and mutual understanding of compatriots on both sides of the strait.

　　Liu Zhihao pointed out that the current model of sorority associations organized by temples on both sides of the strait will become an integrated energy to condense the religious cultures of both sides of the strait. This bridge can be used to expand the homogeneous religious and cultural exchanges between Quantai and Taiwan.

　　“Since the outbreak of the epidemic, physical exchanges in temples on both sides of the strait have completely stagnated, but the exchanges between the gods associations on both sides of the strait have not been cut off, but instead use online video to communicate.” Liu Zhihao reminded that face-to-face communication is still very important for cross-strait emotional communication.

It is not easy to organize cross-strait exchange activities in the post-epidemic period. Even if the online mode is adopted, there are still precedents for canceling. It is hoped that physical exchanges can be restored after the epidemic.

　　During his lectures, Liu Zhihao focused on the origins of folk religions and beliefs, and used interesting facts from field surveys to mobilize students’ enthusiasm for learning, encourage students to step out of textbooks and conduct field surveys to help them better understand folk culture and understanding To the essence of religion or folk culture.

　　"Next, I will spend a few years investigating and sorting out the diverse forms of religious culture in Quanzhou." Liu Zhihao said that he will further think about how to deepen the development of cross-strait non-governmental exchanges and analyze the innovative roads of cross-strait non-governmental exchanges.

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