Visitation to Sacred Shrines and Local Communities of the Hui in China

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics of visitation to Islamic sacred shrines (gongbei) and the role of the jiaofang, a local community constituted around one mosque, in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), China. The intensive research was carried out in Shanmen Village, Haiyuan County, from August to September in both 2001 and 2002. The sacred shrines in the southern district of the NHAR are classified into two categories: those built before the 18th century, in which qutb, preachers of Islam from Central and West Asia were buried; and those built in the 19th and 20th centuries, in which “sacred persons” of Sufi orders such as Khufiyya and Qadariyya were buried. Even though Islamic doctrine essentially prohibits worshipping persons, Islamic sacred tombs and shrines are distributed around the study area. According to the author's interviews in Shanmen Village, the Hui residents of the village visit the total of 21 sacred shrines, which comprise five of the qutb, and 12 of the Khufiyya and four of the Qadariyya orders. The visitation is mostly carried out in groups, which are comprised of the local community members. The qutb shrines do not belong to any Sufi order and attract large numbers of visitors on the memorial days of the person. The believers in the two Sufi orders, Khufiyya and Qadariyya, visit the shrines of both orders. Owing to the frequency and the interrelationship between the Sufi orders, visitation to the shrines is very important to the religious life of the Hui people in the study area. The purposes of visitation are complex and varied, including gaining temporal benefit, approaching the spirits of sacred persons and praying for peace in the world beyond. Visitation as a form of recreation also occurs. Since Islamic knowledge is necessary to perform the commemorative rituals in the sacred shrines, some of the male participants who can recite the Qur'an play a central role in the rituals as representatives of the local community. Other community members participate in the rituals led by them. It is believed that the purpose of visitation can be achieved by participating in the rituals. Since the local community plays an important role through the whole process of visitation such as the provision of transportation to the shrines by a community member and the performance of the rituals, social relationships among local community members are intensified through visitations. In addition, some of the participants, mostly men, improve their social position in the community by demonstrating their religious knowledge and devoutness and their economic contribution to the community in the visitation.