The Temple of Memories: History, Power, and Morality in a Chinese Village

by Jun Jing

This study focuses on the politics of memory in the village of Dachuan in northwest China, in which 85 percent of the villagers are surnamed Kong and believe themselves to be descendants of Confucius. It recounts both how this proud community was subjected to intense suffering during the Maoist era, culminating in its forcible resettlement in December 1960 to make way for the construction of a major hydroelectric dam, and how the village eventually sought recovery through the commemoration of that suffering and the revival of a redefined religion. Before 1949, the Kongs had dominated their area because of their political influence, wealth, and, above all, their identification with Confucius, whose precepts underlay so much of the Chinese ethical and political tradition. After the Communists came to power in 1949, these people, as a literal embodiment of the Confucian heritage, became prime targets for Maoist political campaigns attacking the traditional order, from land reform to the “Criticize Confucius” movement. Many villagers were arrested, three were beheaded, and others died in labor camps. When the villagers were forced to hastily abandon their homes and the village temple, they had time to disinter only the bones of their closest family members; the tombs of earlier generations were destroyed by construction workers for the dam.

Genres: China

242 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ryo · Rating 4 out of 5]

哪里有压迫，哪里就有祝福。

受创伤的文化在经历一系列惨绝人寰的苦难（饥僅、被迫移民、强迫劳动、监禁、死亡、而“从社会角度来看，对宗教、家族组织、传统道德权威的政治攻击，断绝了实际帮助与感情支持的有效来源。”）后的记忆与卑微的重建——“体制对记忆的压制并不会总是有效。记忆的转化牵涉到象征资源和道德评价。在大川，人们挑战了集体忘却的制造。正是因此，大川新孔庙可被我们视为祭典人类苦难的纪念碑，同时，蕴含信仰的大川新孔庙也是孔家人告别风雨如晦的过去，并着手乡土重建的里程碑。”

另外中文版封面也很有feel，赤烛还愿的压抑感。

[Christina Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a powerful book...

[Charlotte Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an ethnography it is decently written but is lacking in citing human sources.

[Martac · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone interested in collective memory/trauma or modern China dealing with its past, this is an amazing ethnography that deals with these themes. It's thick-reading; I had to reread many parts, and I still don't grasp it all. But that is my own deficiency, not the author's.

This is a particularly intriguing ethnography because it focuses on village where the villagers are mostly Confucius' ancestors. In a time when the Chinese state promotes Confucianism as soft power and "real Chinese history," it is educating to know what really happened pre-,during, and post-Cultural Revolution to the village.

(Also, Beloiters--if you had Rob LaFleur, he likes this book.)