Faiths on Display: Religion, Tourism, and the Chinese State ed. by Tim Oakes, Donald S. Sutton (review)

Abstract

134 Journal of Chinese Religions jing in three instances. In the long citation from the Śūraṅ gama Sūtra on p. 85, however, the closing quotation mark towards the end of the citation appears one sentence too early, which makes the citation confusing. These are minor errors, however, and probably next to inescapable, considering that the book is replete with otherwise meticulous Chinese and Sanskrit references to terms and titles where appropriate. In the view of this reviewer, Thierry Meynard has not only shared with us an inspiring account of a fascinating thinker, admirable and courageous activist and a unique personality in China’s modern history, but also made a serious contribution to our understanding of the evasive issue of what Chinese religiousness means. GEIR SIGURĐSSON, University of Iceland Faiths on Display: Religion, Tourism, and the Chinese State Edited by TIM OAKES and DONALD S. SUTTON. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. viii, 283 pages. ISBN 978-1-4422-0506-2. US$79.00, £49.95, €54.95, hardcover. This innovative collection of essays sheds new light on a leading facet of the religious revival that is transforming China today, namely its links to that country’s burgeoning tourism industry. Based on a wide variety of case studies featuring both Han and non-Han communities, Faiths on Display convincingly identifies tourism as a crucial arena for not only understanding the local forces shaping China’s religious revival but also the state’s attempts to assert its hegemony over these forces, both in terms of policies and the realm of discourse. The authors also demonstrate the vibrant diversity of religious tourism, rightly described as “…one of the most important producers of…multiple private and collective spaces within which practices of faith now occur in China” (p. 4) and “overflowing with irreconcilable meanings” (p. 13). The book’s Introduction (pp. 1-25) opens with an examination of the interaction between tourism and religion, taking as an example the processes by which the renowned Dazhai 大寨 agricultural commune has become transformed into a site for the worship of both Mao Zedong 毛澤東 (1893-1976) and the Śākyamuni Buddha (pp. 2-3). The fact that Mao is viewed as a god of wealth (caishen 財神) seems particularly striking, especially since similar cults play a role in the religious tourism found at Jinggangshan 井岡山 (see Yu Luo Rioux’s Book Reviews 135 paper for this volume, p. 85). One key topic involves the role of the Chinese state in attempting to effectively manage and standardize tourism and related religious practices, particularly in terms of promoting tourism as a healthy form of consumption that can help contribute to exemplary modern behavior and nationalist sentiments (pp. 4-6, 12-20). At the same time, the editors note the importance of resistance to state standardization of religious practices at tourist sites, which contributes to a general “messiness of place” (pp. 7, 20). Another central theme is the impact of religious tourism on non-Han communities, with state and elite attempts to reframe sacred sites as tourism centers providing local authorities with an opportunity to transform beliefs and practices formerly labeled “superstitious” (mixin 迷信) into “customs” (fengsu 風俗) or intangible cultural heritage (fei wuzhi wenhua yichan 非物質 文化遺產) possessing intrinsic value. The first case study, of religious tourism at Mount Tai (Taishan 泰山) (pp. 27-49), builds on Brian R. Dott’s monograph on this subject10 while presenting new data from the modern era. Dott effectively explores the multiple perspectives that flourish at this venerable sacred site, as well as recent developments such as the advent of new rituals for young couples (p. 32) and the growing emphasis on “green” tourism (pp. 28, 41; see also the papers by Rioux and Sutton & Kang in this volume). There are also informative discussions of the state’s conundrum in confronting the growth of sacred sites, namely how to encourage increasing revenue flows without augmenting a site’s religious legitimacy (pp. 31, 42). The dating system in the paper’s bibliography is somewhat curious, however; examples include the Liji 禮記 being listed as a 1991 publication, and a stele from the Kangxi 康熙 era (r. 1661-1722) dated to 1969. Tim Oakes’ paper (pp. 51-77) treats the fascinating processes by which Guizhou 貴州 ritual dramas...