Status Updates From Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors:...

And over

I wouldn't have compared western ghosts with these familial ghosts in the way he has. He claims that unlike western ghosts these familial ghosts attack out of necessity and not pure devilishness and malice. That might be true for familial ghosts but not ghosts in general, neither to western ghosts simply attack, in fact, usually they don't attack at all.

Why did that one woman state that Little Gods have no power when this one here apparently can cure sickness with charms?

She flailed herself to become a medium or something for that "little god"... hm, why flail yourself?
It is just a restless ghost anyway.

Deeified ghosts... hm, that sounds familiar, and luckily is actually interesting.

What he quotes here about chinese people honoring the widow sounds like Qing empire propaganda than actual reality, he states later himself that remarrying was connected with significant downsides for the widow in question.
And he once quotes a "Von Möllendorf", does he mean Paul von Möllendorf who later worked for the Korean king?

There is really no justification here for having dead sons having adopted sons but not women, even quotes only state that this is the proper way.

I remember this spirit marriage custome from Marry my Dead Body.

So ancestors don't bring sickness to people but ghosts who aren't offered to do.

The Great Saint Equal to Heaven? Is that supposed to be the monkey king? If yes, that would be really ironic.

divine guardians... gosh I hope this chapter is better than the ones before.

So according to this, chinese ancestors don't do much in regard to revenge, they just get worshipped and help their descendents as much as they can.

This chapter on gods, ghosts and ancestors was sooooo boring.

This exorcism ritual with its gods were kind of interesting, but not much.

This whater ghost (a drowned child) was the first interesting thing here for me. I am not interested in all these details about rituals or families.

Oh boy, all this focus on specific ritual details... I will never be able to remember that.

At the time of this research some Taiwanese considered the gods to resemble the Republican government? Hm, that could look interesting.

Interesting, this one guy stated that animals can be immortals but not gods, but I do know stories where animals did become gods. Granted that was from the Qing empire and the repuplic of China in the 1920s, not Taiwan.

It really sounds as if the hungry ghosts/good brethren are to be worshipped/sacrificed to, for fear of pissing them off.

The Poh Sould is associated not just with earth and darkness but also femaleness? It is necessary to life but unimportant in the greater scheme of things, tends to linger in coffins or around graves and eventually burn itself out and expire. That sounds a bit misogynistic.

Finally!!! The religion. Took the author long enough! Why was all that stuff before necessary?

Gosh is this dry. I really don't care how the village is structured or how long some mayors lasted. Apart from a temple and 2-3 gods, nothing regarding religion was mentioned so far.

After skipping the foreword and introduction, I hope this book wont stay as dry as the first 4 pages.