Fieldwork statement
I have conducted my fieldwork at a village in Suide county, Shaanxi province, China. I am focused on the production and consumption of funeral objects and how their social lives are intertwined with the constitution of funeral meaning in the practice.
During the fieldwork, I met the local geomancer Mr Xu and his apprentice Mr Liu and went to several funerals with them. I also attended the village’s annual Temple Fair (Miaohui): Chinese religious gatherings held at Miao shrines.
'Watching Jin Opera in Miaohui’
A village in northern Shaanxi, where the four-day temple fair is held annually. People visit the temples of various deities, including the Goddess (娘娘), Kwan Tai (关帝), and the Three Officials (三官), who govern heaven, hell, and water.
Jin Opera, a form of Chinese opera from Shanxi province, is staged nearby. The audience is largely older villagers who bring stools to watch it. The play, “San Guan Dian Shuai”, portrays the war between the Song and Liao dynasties, focusing on the rise of the famous female general Mu Guiying. When I ask the person sitting next to me why she had come, she said she didn’t care much about the play’s content: “I just enjoy sitting in the crowd with everyone.”
‘Children wait for Guo Guan’
At the temple fair “Guo Guan” (passing the barrier) is a ritual activity for children aged 3–12. The children wear hemp ropes around their waists and carry bags filled with books, food and other items.
The temple entrance is marked with red paper. The children take a red flag with blessings written on it, placed above a table. When they crawl under the table, the tail of their rope is cut with a sickle. When they enter the temple, their backs are symbolically swept with a broom and the entire rope is removed.
This concept originates from ancient Chinese numerology and the idea of “Guan Sha” (the destined disaster), referring to the diseases and misfortunes children may face as they grow. The cutting and removal of the rope represents the resolution of these hardships.
‘Working in the grave’
Mr Xu is a local geomancer and is also employed as a funeral adviser. His work includes choosing auspicious dates for funerals, selecting suitable burial places, and officiating at funeral ceremonies.
In this photo, he is arranging items such as candles and utensils that are to be placed into the grave.
