明末东南沿海社会重建与乡绅之角色——以林大春与潮州双忠公信仰的关系为中心

The role of literati in the Reconstruction of Rural Society in the Southeastern Coast of China Towards the End of the Ming Dynasty: A Case Study of the Relationship Between Lin Dachun and the Worship of Shuangzhong Gong in Chaozhou

文章考察了明代后期广东潮州的著名乡绅林大春与双忠公信仰的关系,以此说明明代中叶以后东南沿海地方整体社会结构的转型。文章展现了读书人在民间信仰传播方面的重要影响,同时表明,一个在“国家”的意识形态中具有合法地位的外来的神明,要为某一地区的民众所接受,常常还要通过灵验故事和占卜仪式等来建立与地方社会的利益关系。而这样的过程,同时又可能被当地士绅作为培养民众对王朝和国家的认同感的机会。

This paper examines the links between Lin Dachun, a notable village gentry of Chaozhou and the spread of Shuangzhong Gong worship in that region. It demonstrates the important role of local literati in the spread of a popular religion. It also shows that the use of mythology and superstitious predication ceremonies for justifying the interests of the local society is also vital to the popularization of those deities authorized and promoted by the state. In most cases, local literati made use of these occasions to nourish a sense of commitment to the government and state among the common people.