Building Temples in China: Memories, Tourism and Identities by Selina Ching Chan and Graeme Lang (review)

Abstract

Offering an extensive analysis of revived Daoist temples dedicated to Huang Daxian 黃大仙, sociologists Chan and Lang draw on 15 years of fieldwork to examine local government contributions to temple rebuilding for tourism. Their work comes from the regions of Zhejiang 浙江 and Guangdong 廣東, and in addition to investigating local government involvement, chapters provide insight into transnational networks, issues of authenticity, management styles, and market forces. This study adds to a growing body of literature regarding religious revivalism in post-Mao China. Such work includes examinations of tourism, economic development, and Chinese religions,1 the reconstruction of temples and religious practices in China,2 and relationships between the state and religion.3 Following market reforms, religious tourism emerged as a means of economic development. Tourist festivals began, e.g., an annual Guanyin 觀音 cultural festival at Mount Putuo 普陀山 and a Daoist cultural festival in Sichuan 四川, and colossal statues were built to distinguish sites and draw visitors, e.g., the Lingshan Buddha 靈山大佛, the 108-meter Guanyin statue at the Nanshan Buddhist Culture Park 南山佛教文化園, and the 33-meter statue of Laozi at Mount Mao 茅山.4 Chan and Lang’s study adds to research on such developments, and complements ethnography providing invaluable insight into the restoration of Daoist rituals and local religious communities.5 What sets their work apart is its multi-site approach comparing Huang Daxian temples, and its focus on religious revivalism in the context of local