This study examines examples of regional religious organizations in an attempt to determinewhether or not each of these organizational units can be characterized by the term "belief sphere" (hsin-yang `ch'uan`). In addition, the author analyzes the social and cultural foundations upon which the development of these organizations were founded.
The author has previously discussed the concept of belief spheres. This term refers to an organization composed of voluntary members centered on the belief of one deity and its incarnations.Historical documents demonstrate developed from Matsu temples regional religious organizations such as the Ch'ing-an Temple in Hsi-kang, the Chen-lan Temple in Ta-chia, the T'ien-men Temple in Fang-ch'iao-t'ou, the Wan-hsing Temple in Ta-tu-ting-chieh, and the `Tz'u-yu` Temple in Chung-kang. The focus of belief in these regional religious organizations is on Ma-tsu. All take the village as their most basic unit. All are centered on old temples in market towns. Finally, they brought together the faithful of officially designated administrative regions known as pao during the period of Ch'ing rule.
This study focuses on the formation and the development of these regional religious organizations. In addition to discussing social factors such as the rise of market towns during the process of settlement, ethnic segregation and ethnic interaction, the author also points out that the worship of Ma-tsu--a female deity--mirrors the function of marriage in the traditional Chinese kinship structure. Whether Ma-tzu is circulated over a large region, passing from one village to another, or whether the pilgrims follow the deity from one village to another, Ma-tzu serves as a metaphor for the movement of women through marriage in traditional Chinese society, as well as the establishment and expansion of alliance consequent upon this movement.
