DIGITIZATION OF THE HAKKA ANCESTOR WORSHIP CEREMONY

«Мировая церемония предков хакка» - одна из самых влиятельных церемоний поклонения предкам в Китае. В 2011 году это мероприятие было включено в Национальный список нематериального культурного наследия. Благодаря слиянию и сосуществованию нескольких моделей взаимодействия в «церемонии поклонения предкам» и точному пониманию намерений мультимодального взаимодействия синхронизировано представление многоканального восприятия (визуального, звукового и сенсорного). На основе Node.js и Three.js технологий авторами была реализована цифровая система для «церемонии поклонения предкам». Цифровая модель представляет действия в двух залах: Хуайцзу, где можно выразить свои чувства памяти и помолиться за свои семьи, и Юйпин, где можно произвести интерактивные операции, такие как подношение свечей, подношение благовоний и т.п. Тесты показывают, что в системе достигается баланс между производительностью и удобством для пользователя, что дает реальное решение для оцифровки нематериального культурного наследия ритуального типа. Цифровой контент церемонии не ограничен во времени и пространстве, не требует использования сторонних плагинов и имеет быструю доступность, что может способствовать быстрому распространению и развитию «Церемонии предков мира хакка». The Hakka World Ancestor Ceremony is one of the most influential ancestor worship ceremonies in China. In 2011, this event was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Due to the fusion and coexistence of several interaction models in the "ancestor worship ceremony" and an accurate understanding of the intentions of multimodal interaction, the representation of multi-channel perception (visual, sound and sensory) is synchronized. Based on Node.js and Three.js technologies, the authors implemented a digital system for the "ancestor worship ceremony". The digital model represents actions in two halls: Huaizu, where you can express your feelings of memory and pray for your families, and Yuping, where you can perform interactive operations, such as offering candles, offering incense, etc. Tests show that the system achieves a balance between performance and user-friendliness, which provides a real solution for digitizing intangible cultural heritage of the "ritual" type. The digital content of the ceremony is not limited in time and space, does not require the use of third-party plug-ins and has rapid availability, which can contribute to the rapid spread and development of the "Ceremony of the Ancestors of the Hakka World".

Relationships Between Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Spirituality in Japan

Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) consists of two factors: authoritarianism—the tendency to venerate and submit to established authorities—and conventionalism—the propensity to protect traditional values. By focusing on ancestor and nature worship in Japan, this study highlighted the construct of RWA in terms of two aspects of spirituality: feelings of respect for and connectedness to higher order entities, and feelings of universality and oneness with others. Study 1 (cross-sectional) indicated that the tendencies of ancestor worship predicted higher levels of authoritarianism, while those of nature worship predicted lower levels of conventionalism, even when controlling for general attitudes toward religious symbols. Study 2 (experimental) showed that while the recollection of spiritual experiences did not directly affect RWA, indirect routes via feelings of spirituality existed. Specifically, the recollection of an ancestor worship experience increased feelings of respect/connectedness for ancestors, which were related to higher levels of authoritarianism, and that of a nature worship experience increased feelings of universality/oneness under nature, which were associated with lower levels of conventionalism. These results provide a more nuanced understanding of RWA through demonstrating that RWA might be specifically associated with these two aspects of spirituality.

Inheritance and reflection: “re-study” of three anthropology fieldwork sites in China’s Yunnan Province

This article is a research report involving three anthropological studies conducted during the period of “Kuige” and their “re-studies.” By narrating the project, I set forth my views on the connections and differences between Chinese anthropological explorations from two historical periods. These anthropological explorations refer to the study of Lu Village conducted by Fei Xiaotong, that of “West Town” (Xizhou) by Francis L. K. Hsu, and that of “Pai-IPai” (Dai) villages by Tien Ju-Kang. They were all completed in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Each writer extracted a framework to analyze the land system, ancestor worship, and the relationship between humans and gods from the writer’s own field experience. Despite the difference in research methods, all three studies noticed the cultural differences between rural society and modernity. Since 2000, Peking University and Yunnan Minzu University have launched a “Province-university Cooperation Project.” During the project, a research team formed of several young scholars revisited Lu Village, “West Town” (Xizhou), and Namu Village. These writers’ works were based on the data acquired in their fieldwork and drew upon the opinions raised by global anthropologists on “re-study” in recent decades. Considering the dual effects of social change and shifts in academic concepts around “follow-up research,” the scholars put forward several points of view with their ethnographies, which all featured the characteristics of inheritance and reflection. Based on the results of the three “re-studies,” this article emphasizes the importance of the study of public rituals for the research of rural society. This article also attempts to re-examine the methodology of “human ecology,” which profoundly impacts Chinese anthropology and sociology.

Shanxi Courtyard Dwellings and Hakka Walled Village: A Comparative Study of Wang Family Courtyard and Sam Tung Uk Walled Village

Through a historical research on two well-preserved vernacular Chinese dwellings: The Wang Family Courtyard in Shanxi and the Sam Tung Uk Walled Village in Hong Kong, this paper examines the cultural sustainability of architecture in China, and explores what factors have contributed to their success and decline, and what can be learned from their stories. In doing so, the article employs the analytical framework developed in the author’s previous works, that is, architectural form and space, and social and cultural dimensions of the cases. The findings reveal that ancestor worship was a common practice in the two families, hard work and traditional family values had resulted in their success. The abandonment of traditional values and schooling, coupled with social and military instability in the country, along with urban sprawl, destroyed the family unity and businesses, and ultimately caused the moving. The study has implications for the contemporary world beyond China.

Ancestors or Ghosts: the Cult of the Dead in a Bai Village in Southwest China

When it comes to ancestor worship> the basic belief is that the spirit of the dead would affect their living family. However> the cult of the dead in a Bai village in southwest China shows deconstruction and moral reflection of ancestors. From the perspective of social relationships? people separate their ancestors from other families' ancestors who arc also recognised as ghosts or uninvited guests. Besides?they divided their deceased relatives into ancestors and ghosts through cultural definition of a good death and bad death>thus they need a bridge rite to help the spirit of the dead in a bad death to be an ancestor. In regard to the netherworld, people wish their deceased relatives go to western heaven at the same time they regard them as suffering ghosts in hell because of their guilty during their lifetime. Moreover>the living family have an obligation to provide and help their dead release from suffering. By examining the attitudes and acts of distinguishing? transforming, and equating between ancestors and ghosts>this article further argues that the cult of the dead in Bai is not only an ethical act of obeisance but also an expression of ideal person hood and a belief in living family as the salvation of the dead.

Varia: Cultural Nationalism and Postcolonial Imperatives in Irene Salami-Agunloye’s Emotan: A Benin Heroine and Emmy Idegu’s Ata Igala the Great

This article examines the efforts of postcolonial creative writers, particularly dramatists, who attempt to rethink the seeming erosion of African culture in the face of western cultural expansion. The present research adopts the methods of descriptive and content analysis, as it dwells on books, journal articles, and internet materials to examine its subject. Of immediate interest are two Nigerian plays, Ata Igala the Great by Emmy Idegu and Emotan: A Benin Heroine by Irene Salami-Agunloye, which are read as paradigmatic texts for interpreting problematic postcolonial relationships. The article contributes to discussions related to colonialism and the hidden agenda of neo-colonialism, which are often interpreted in terms of western economic interests underlying cultural expansion. The article demonstrates how African postcolonial writers have striven to reverse this trend by promoting Africa’s cultural aesthetics as they represent indigenous ways of life and their problematic interaction with western cultural patterns. The discussed works focus on cultural canons related to African life, such as consultation with oracles, ancestor worship, and festivals; and they demonstrate the aesthetic specifics of African dance, music, songs, and their semiotic significance. The article concludes that even though the two plays “speak back” to power, their strength lies in the articulation of certain aesthetic patterns that contribute to African self-location. Thus, the plays not only attempt to assert African culture, but they also strive to rethink the meanings of western cultural imperialism.