Value Composition and Optimal Utilization of Religious Cultural Landscape Resources

Multiple value structure of religious cultural landscape resources influences and determines development and regulation of cultural landscape resources. In the multiple value structure consisting of cultural inheritance, spiritual needs, industrial expansion, leisure and entertainment, development and utilization of religious cultural landscape resources should adhere to scientific classification, relatively independent policy orientation, make and implement specific countermeasures, so as to meet various requirements of the public and other relevant subjects using more refined and improved policy measures, and to realize the optimal utilization and comprehensive value of religious cultural landscapes.

Changes in regional religious activities in the last millennium recorded by black carbon in Lake Dalzong,northeastern Tibetan Plateau

The ecological environment of the Tibetan Plateau,known as the“Third Pole of the Earth”,is extremely sensitive and fragile.With rapid societal development,environmental problems on the Tibetan Plateau have become prominent,as it is downwind of the emission sources from densely populated areas in the Middle East and South Asia,and the plateau has become one of the regions significantly affected by transboundary pollutant transmission(including black carbon,BC).The Tibetan Plateau has a long history of life and religious sacrifices,including aromatic plant-burning,which were recorded in the geologic record;therefore,BC can be used as a potential indicator to study the changes in religious activities.In this study,BC analysis was carried out based on the plausible dating framework tested by the AMS14C and137Cs methods on successive sediment cores from Lake Dalzong,an alpine lake in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,northeast of the Tibetan Plateau.It was found that the BC in the lake sediments mainly accumulated through proximity wet deposition,and its content changes reflected the prevalence of surrounding religious activities.The study results indicate that the area of Lake Dalzong has experienced three periods of enhanced religious activities in the last millennium:1490-1565 CE(mid-Ming Dynasty),1810-1890 CE(late Qing Dynasty),and 1920 CE to the present(since the founding of the Republic of China),and the increase in religious activities on this centennial time scale is a response to concurrent social development.This study is the first to extract information on the variation in religious activities from lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau,which will help advance the study of the historical context of the Anthropocene on the Tibetan Plateau.

"Catching the Yellow Ghost":A Case Study of Popular Religious Activities and Social Transformation in Rural North China

This article studies the relationship between local society and social change in rural north China from the late Qing dynasty to the People's Republic of China period through the activity of"Zhuo huanggui"(literally,"Catching the Yellow Ghost")."Catching the Yellow Ghost"is a ritual activity in Guyi village,Wu'an county,Hebei province.According to villagers there,"Catching the Yellow Ghost"has been celebrated since the late Qing dynasty.However,due to political pressures in the 1950s,it was not until the 1980s that"Catching the Yellow Ghost"began to be revitalized.Since that time,"Catching the Yellow Ghost"has gained rapid popularity and fame in north China.Through the lens of the"Catching the Yellow Ghost"ritual,this article explores social transformation in China from the late 19th to the early 21st century.By analyzing the continuity and discontinuity of"Catching the Yellow Ghost,"this article offers a new understanding of the relationship between local society and social change in rural north China.