Belief Culture (Part 1) cover

Belief Culture (Part 1)

Rating 3.3
Word count
42K words
Chapters
51
ISBN
9787807119937

Tags

Summary

Chinese culture values peace and upholds the ideal personality of the mean. When diverse cultures meet, it excels at fusion—free of bias or resentment, favoring harmony and balance—enabling the Chinese nation to grow and thrive. Chinese culture is like a sea receiving a hundred rivers, vast and boundless. A History of Chinese Culture narrates China's extraordinary journey from prehistory to the present: the opening of its territory, the formation of its peoples, social evolution, economic and cultural development, and political transformation.

Editor's review

Belief Culture (Volume One), edited by Xing Chunru, is part of the "Encyclopedia of Chinese History and Culture" series published by Liaohai Press. The book focuses on belief as a core dimension of traditional Chinese culture, systematically sorting out and explaining the diverse beliefs, rituals, symbols, and cultural expressions rooted in Chinese society from ancient times to the present. From primal nature worship and totem beliefs to the systematized thought of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, and on to folk beliefs and taboos circulating among the people, the book attempts to construct a historical and cultural map for understanding the Chinese spiritual world.

As a work of popular knowledge, its value lies in classifying and connecting a vast array of belief phenomena, giving readers a clear thread through cultural history. Its content covers not only philosophical currents but also daily life and folk practice—festival sacrifices, feng shui and fate calculation, ancestor worship—showing how belief has profoundly shaped Chinese ethical concepts, social order, and aesthetic taste. Xing Chunru, an experienced editor of cultural books, favors systematic knowledge and readability, and this book can be seen as a key to the spiritual core of traditional Chinese culture.

Readers should note that the book was completed relatively early and is encyclopedic in nature, so it may be limited in cutting-edge scholarship and deep theoretical analysis. It is better suited as an interest guide or introductory work for building a knowledge framework than as a professional research source. Its reading value lies in provoking thought and helping us understand the countless links between contemporary cultural phenomena and traditional beliefs, so that we may reexamine the roots and character of our culture in a modern context.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • General readers with a strong interest in traditional Chinese culture and folk beliefs.
  • Students who wish to systematically understand the landscape of Chinese belief culture and build a basic cognitive framework.
  • People working in culture, tourism, or social sciences who need supplementary background knowledge.
  • Readers who enjoy history and culture encyclopedias and the process of organizing and integrating knowledge.

Not a good fit for

  • Scholars seeking in-depth theoretical research in religious studies or anthropology at the academic frontier.
  • Readers expecting strongly narrative content or personal spiritual inspiration.

Reading tips

  1. Extend the reading with specific regional or festival customs, comparing the book's broad descriptions with cultural phenomena around you.
  2. Read with a mind to tracing threads; you may draw simple diagrams of belief types or historical evolution yourself.
  3. As this is Volume One, those interested may follow the rest of the series or related works for further reading.

About the publisher

Liaohai Publishing House China · Founded in 1996

Liaohai Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for textbooks and the collation of ancient works. Its publishing scope covers state-approved textbooks, local curriculum materials, supplementary educational books, and national and local ancient-text compilation projects, while also extending into humanities fields such as Eastern philosophy. Its catalog contains about 4,694 titles, with representative works including the multi-volume Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and its author resources include classic writers and works such as Sima Qian and Confucius. Grounded in educational publishing and the transmission of traditional culture, the press maintains sustained investment in ancient-text collation, forming a publishing profile that balances textbooks and scholarship. Due to limited public information, its more specific publishing directions and features require further supplementation.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 《中国文化知识大观园》编委会
  3. 编写说明
  4. 一、万物崇拜
  5. 自然崇拜
  6. 天神崇拜
  7. 地神崇拜
  8. 日神崇拜
  9. 月神崇拜
  10. 星神崇拜
  11. 天象崇拜
  12. 风神信仰
  13. 雨神信仰
  14. 雷神信仰
  15. 电神信仰
  16. 自然物崇拜
  17. 火与火神崇拜
  18. 水与水神崇拜
  19. 山与山神崇拜
  20. 石与石神崇拜
  21. 动植物崇拜
  22. 植物崇拜
  23. 图腾崇拜
  24. 祖先崇拜
  25. 炎帝神农氏
  26. 黄帝轩辕氏
  27. 二、神仙信仰
  28. 神医华佗
  29. 仙伯郭璞
  30. 仙人罗隐
  31. 枕中黄粱
  32. 神算王贾
  33. 杜郎子春
  34. 神笔唐寅
  35. 神算刘基
  36. 财神
  37. 行业神崇拜
  38. 鲁班
  39. 蔡伦
  40. 杜康
  41. 关帝
  42. 王母娘娘
  43. 玉皇大帝
  44. 真武大帝
  45. 观音菩萨
  46. 女娲
  47. 送子观音
  48. 碧霞元君
  49. 鬼子母
  50. 月下老人
  51. 龙王爷

FAQ

Is this an academic monograph?
Not in the strict sense. It is a popular cultural knowledge book for general readers, focused on systematic organization and introduction of knowledge, written in accessible language, and intended as a panoramic overview.
What belief content does the book mainly cover?
The coverage is broad, including but not limited to primal worship, Confucian ritual thought, the basic concepts and influence of Buddhism and Daoism, and folk beliefs, taboos, and customs woven into daily life.
Do I need a lot of prior historical knowledge to understand it?
No. As an introductory guide, the book is designed to be accessible. Basic historical literacy helps, but the book introduces key concepts and background as needed, so general readers can read it smoothly.

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About the author

Xing Chunru Author · China

Xing Chunru is a Chinese full-time book editor about whom publicly available information is limited. He has long compiled popular series for institutions such as Liaohai Publishing House. His output is considerable, with more than 700 titles held in the collection, covering fields such as art history, science and military affairs, politics and history, language and writing, and film and television. Representative works include Chinese Martial Arts (Part II), A History of Chinese Art, A History of Chinese Science and Technology, A Course in the Art of Language, Famous Paintings and Masterpieces, and the series A Grand Garden of Chinese Cultural Knowledge. These books present specialized knowledge in an accessible style, emphasizing systematic organization and readability, and are intended for young readers and general audiences, helping to popularize and guide understanding of traditional culture, art appreciation, and language expression.

李穆南 Author

Li Munan: publicly available information is limited, and details of his life, such as nationality and dates of birth and death, are not clearly recorded. Nevertheless, the 229 works held in the library indicate a prolific compiler with wide-ranging interests. His works focus mainly on Chinese culture and history, and representative titles include Chinese Martial Arts (Volume Two), The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Science and Military Volume, The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Politics and History Volume, The History of Ancient Chinese Literature, The History of Contemporary Chinese Literature, Poems of Successive Dynasties, and Residential Architecture and Folk Customs (Volume One). The common categories cover culture, popular science, general biography, and history readers, showing that his writing centers on knowledge popularization and cultural dissemination. His subjects span literary history, folk customs, military science, and political history, and are mostly aimed at general readers. Overall, Li Munan's body of work is extensive and emphasizes the systematic organization of traditional Chinese culture and historical knowledge, giving him a certain accumulated presence and influence in the compilation of popular cultural reading materials.

Jie Baofeng Author · Chinese · 1976

Jie Baofeng, born in 1976 and a native of Qianguo, Jilin, is of Han ethnicity and serves as an assistant researcher. He is currently director of the Jilin Provincial Local Chronicles Museum, a member of the Standing Committee of the Jilin Provincial CPPCC, and vice chair of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and has long been engaged in compiling local chronicles. He has planned and published more than ninety chronicles and gazetteers, including the Illustrated Gazetteer of the Colonial Governing Institutions of the Puppet State of Manchukuo, and has served as chief editor of numerous history and popular science series, gaining extensive experience in document organization and knowledge dissemination. His works span a wide range of subjects, including folk literature, inspirational growth, and social fiction, with 970 titles held in the collection. These include multivolume editions of traditional classics such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas and The Complete Works of Guiguzi, as well as accessible popular readings, reflecting an editorial approach that balances scholarship with readability.

刘心莲 Author

Liu Xinlian is a Chinese compiler credited with a considerable number of titles, though public information about her is limited, and her nationality, dates of birth and death, and personal background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the 182 works held in the collection, her writing focuses mainly on cultural popularization and general knowledge books, covering such subjects as Chinese martial arts, political history, science and military affairs, emperors and eunuchs of successive dynasties, imperial examination top scholars, and myths and legends. The common categories include culture, popular science, history readings, folk literature, and general biography. Representative works include Chinese Martial Arts (Volume II), The Grand View of Chinese Culture: Political and Historical Volume, The Grand View of Chinese Culture: Science and Military Volume, Emperors of Successive Dynasties, and Myths and Legends. Overall, her editorial style leans toward accessible introductions for general readers, emphasizing systematic organization and readability, making it suitable for ordinary readers seeking to understand traditional culture and historical knowledge.

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