Research on Funeral Rituals and Village Community Maintenance of the Landian Yao of Funing from the Perspective of “Forging a Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation”

Xu Zuxiang Duan Zhucheng

Abstract：With the rapid urbanization of China， the phenomenon of withering village communitiesdue to population exodus has become all too common， and some villages have gradually become “hollow villages” and “l(fā)eftbehind villages.” However， some ethnic minority villages apparently still maintain their traditional life. In such villages， folk rituals evidently play a vital role in the social life of their communities， especially in safeguarding community and cultural tradition. Folk rituals also appear to embody important ethnic values within a “pattern of diversity in unity of the Chinese nation” as part of contemporary rural social life. We find that through folklore rituals a deep cultural identity in local villages has been established. Arguably every ethnic group in China practices ancestor worship， and funeral rituals are a memorial to ancestors. These rites apparently have further strengthened and promoted the cohesion of various ethnic groups， solidifying a sense of community of the Chinese nation. Meanwhile， these community ceremonies conceivably play an important role in building up a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation： this “home” can bring together people of all ethnic groups， help them rely on each other spiritually， and form a strong spiritual bond of cohesion and unity.

The funeral rituals of Landian Yao （or Indigo Yao） in Anlan Village of Funing seem to give place to a “secularsacredsecular” sociological space field by means of ritual procedures， various religious symbolic activities， and taboos for example. This process of blending the “secular” and the “sacred” appears to create a structural transformation between death and rebirth， and the individual and the collective. This， we discovered， expresses peoples understanding of life and death， reinforces the ethics of secular society， performs the social and cultural functions of consoling peoples spirits， and integrates order in the daily life of the Landian Yao in Anlan Village.

Looking at the timeline of history， of generations of people， and of how a nation evolves， we find it remarkable that the birth， cohesion， and development of a national community not only need land， population， and other entities as their foundation， but also need renewal and development of ideas， and the community members awareness of their own cultural and political identity. We have learned that traditional culture can bring unity of spirit， which in turn can lead to innovative transformation and creative development of the fine traditional social history and culture of the Chinese nation， further forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation.As arguably the Chinese nation has been evolving “from pluralism to integration”， the traditional excellent ethnic culture of the Landian Yao will have certain reference value and ?practical significance for preserving village communities as well as forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation.

Key Words：Landian Yao; funeral rituals; village community; a sense of community for the Chinese nation