Fearlessly, author Jonathan Chamberlain shows no hesitation in tackling a giant topic in a mid-sized book. Republished by Hong Kong's Blacksmith Books, his factual volume, Chinese Gods (2009, 240 pages, US$17.95), gives a diligently researched, often fascinating, but incomplete “introduction to Chinese folk religion”.
“Written from a Western point of view, it's a ‘way in’ to the subject for any layman curious about temples, earth-god shrines or paper ‘good luck’ couplets,” said publisher Pete Spurrier. Prior versions of Chinese Gods appeared decades ago.
While introducing major gods and showing them as seen in traditional glass paintings, the book also explains some basics of Taoism, Confucianism and fung shui. Many of the billion-plus people who tinker in Chinese folk religion display altars, statues or good-luck symbols in their homes or businesses.
“This book should be treated as a journey, a gradual unfolding of the universe of Chinese beliefs,” Chamberlain said. In fact, “one damn God follows another. Incidents precede and succeed each other haphazardly. But where do they all fit in? Do they fit in? Mythology, clearly, is a category where goblets of exotic beliefs can be deposited and quietly forgotten.”
Chamberlain presents a chapter on each of 19 leading gods. His lineup starts with Kuan Ti (the god of war) and continues to the likes of Ts'ai Shen (wealth) and Lei Kung (thunder).
Some folk-religion concepts help to explain how history unfolded. “If we had to choose one word that summed up Chinese ambitions in the religious sphere, that word would be ‘harmony’. However, harmony can occur only in a closed system. Change is a constant threat. Only a static system can provide the ingredients necessary for harmony and balance. Gates allow change in. It was in defence of harmony that both the Chinese and the Japanese shut their doors to the West for centuries.”
Plus “Chinese historians have always patterned their past according to philosophical precepts. If the facts are inconsistent with the image of the past, they are interpreted into submission.”
“Looking back over this stretch of history we see that the moment of the philosophers – of Confucius, Chuang Tzu, Mencius, Mo Tzu, Lieh Tzu, Han Fei and the countless, unnamed others – came at a time of extreme political unrest. The philosophies that arose were a direct response to the situation. Each one was an attempt to provide a basis in reason for courses of action to be followed by the rulers.”
Some of the ripples reach modern China. “The present People's Republic of China has denounced Confucianism… It's a handy label to slap on any traditional virtue that stands in the way of communist progress – revering one's father before the state, for example.”
There's even a chapter on the unusual Cheung Chau Bun Festival, “an annual reminder of the potency of traditional beliefs” on a remote Hong Kong island. “It is also referred to as a Ta Chiu, a festival for dispelling troublesome spirits, or ‘hungry ghosts’.”
Raised in Ireland and Hong Kong, Chamberlain lived much of his life as a Hong Kong teacher and writer. His best works include King Hui: The Man Who Owned All the Opium in Hong Kong and Cancer: The Complete Recovery Guide. He even established two charities – the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association and the Mental Handicap Network China Ltd.
Even Chamberlain would admit there's a lot more about Chinese folk religion, more than Chinese Gods (or even several books) could cover. But most readers will finish this book knowing substantially more than when they started it.
Approval rating: 70 per cent
For more information: www.blacksmithbooks.com
(February 6, 2009)
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