Protestant Funerals in Contemporary Xiamen (当代厦门的基督教葬礼﹕中国城市里的变迁、抵抗与传教)

Abstract

Following its designation as a Special Economic Zone in 1980, the Chinese island city of Xiamen has once again become an affluent urban center. This paper explores recent changes in discourse and practice in Xiamen’s historic Protestant community, focusing on funerals and how they could become major platforms for proselytizing. Based on data derived from interviews, participant observation, and documents issued by secular or religious authorities, four key processes are identified. First, urban modernization policies of the local state have outlawed—but not quite eradicated—cherished funeral rites like lighting firecrackers and holding funeral marches accompanied by brass bands. Second, modernization efforts by Xiamen’s church leadership have reduced the prevalence of sackcloth and led to changes in services in funeral parlors. Third, large-scale immigration established Mandarin as the dominant language and gave rise to so-called Protestant funeral groups, whose charity work is focused on proselytizing among bereaved families. Fourth, the increasing human and financial resources of Protestants in Xiamen facilitate the mobility of large funeral groups and their use of items such as decorative crosses, musical instruments, and songbooks. The paper concludes that change, resistance to change, and proselytizing at funerals can provide insights for the study of Protestant Christians and their ritual events in China’s burgeoning urban societies. 自1980年厦门获批成为经济特区以来，这座中国海岛城市再次成为富裕的中心城市。本文探讨在厦门历史悠久的基督教社区中话语和实践的新近变迁，以葬礼为研究对象，研究其如何成为传教的平台。基于访谈和参与观察得到的资料，本文总结得出四个主要变迁。一、厦门市现代化政策禁止了一些传统的葬礼仪式，如燃放烟花炮竹和举行乐队伴奏的近葬游行，但是这些仪式并没有被根除。二、厦门教会领袖致力于劝阻人们披麻戴孝，并鼓励人们在殡仪馆举行安息礼拜。三，大规模移民的出现使得普通话成为主要语言，并推动了所谓基督教丧事组的兴起，他们慈善工作的重点是 针对死者家属的布道。四、厦门基督教徒日益增长的人力与资金资源提高了大型丧事组的流动性，也推广了有装饰的十字架、乐器以及诗歌集的使用。本文认为厦门基督教葬礼的变迁、对变迁的抵抗与传教活动， 能够为理解中国蓬勃发展的城市基督徒及其宗教仪式提供启发。 (This article is in English.)