This paper examines the texts and ritual performances of three typical Kṣitigarbha (Dizang 地藏) or Maudgalyāyana (Mulian 目連) precious scrolls (baojuan 寶卷) in late imperial China, with an emphasis on locality. By examining the identification of Jin Dizang 金地藏 as Dizang Bodhisattva's emanation on Mt. Jiuhua 九華山, Mt. Jiuhua's function as an essential geographical setting in texts, and the ritual contexts for their performances, this paper demonstrates that Mt. Jiuhua's rising fame is intricately reflected in Dizang or Mulian scrolls. Instead of reading these scrolls through the lens of a particular religious group, this paper adopts a local perspective to reveal the ways in which precious scrolls became important venues for representing sacred geography. Thus, this paper works as a case study of the confluences of religious history and vernacular literature.
