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Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel
Abstract
Revealing the fundamental continuities that exist between vernacular fiction and exorcist, martial rituals in the vernacular language, this book argues that a specific type of Daoist exorcism helped shape vernacular novels in the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Focusing on the once famous novel Fengshen yanyi (Canonization of the Gods), the book maps out the general ritual structure and divine protagonists that it borrows from much older systems of Daoist exorcism. By exploring how the novel reflects the specific concerns of communities associated with Canonization of the Gods and its ideology, the book is able to reconstruct the cultural sphere in which Daoist exorcist rituals informed late imperial “novels.” It first looks at temple networks and their religious festivals. Much attention is given to local militias who embodied “demon soldiers” as part of their defensive strategies. The book establishes the importance of understanding the idealized realities of literary texts within a larger context of cultural practice and socio-political history. Of particular importance is the ongoing dialog with religious ideology that informs these different discourses. The book makes a convincing case for the need to debunk the retrospective reading of China through the modern, secular Western categories of “literature,” “society,” and “politics.” It shows that this disregard of religious dynamics has distorted our understanding of China and that “religion” cannot be conveniently isolate…
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In the citing paper
“Canonization rituals after battles attempted to enlist all the dead, especially the leaders of the losing side, into the service of a new order.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Rituals invoking Li Nezha, as the head of the thunder gods, were done outside the front gates of a city or temple.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“They wanted to cast off the 'sick man of Asia' label and banish any content which mixed theater, martial skills, and religious ritual, for this particular combination was associated with the humiliating defeat of the Boxer Rebellion.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Demonic Warfare by Mark R. E. Meulenbeld [2015] is an important book for the field of Martial Arts Studies - even though it does not address martial arts directly.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“This is important for the field of Martial Arts Studies because the same political movement which 'invented the novel' created the notion of jingwu , or 'pure martial' arts.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Li Nezha is a badly behaved son transformed into a powerful protector deity.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Conquered peoples, along with their local spirits and heroes, were transitioned to righteous demon warriors and incorporated into a heavenly hierarchy.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Before the twentieth century, Canonization was ubiquitous, but for the last hundred years, it has been largely ignored.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“In the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion (1898-1900), the intense ridicule, heaped upon any combination of martial skills and ritual-theater, created 'martial arts' as a distinct category.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Canonization of the Gods tells the story of the child-god Li Nezha who commits suicide, kills dragons, and becomes the leader of the thunder gods.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“The overarching narrative of Canonization of the Gods pivots around this temple where baleful spirits are maintained as a source of power for creating militias under the command of the thunder gods.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“This process successfully sidelined the religious warfare context of Chinese theatrical literature.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Canonization tells the story of how they were ritually incorporated into a national network.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Demonic Warfare looks specifically at the role Daoist thunder rituals play in the process of canonization.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“The greatest contribution of Demonic Warfare to the field of Martial Arts Studies is that it describes a ubiquitous historic milieu in China in which combat skills, theatricality, and religion were fully integrated. This historic milieu is called a canonization ritual.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Meulenbeld shows how Chinese literature grew out of the ritual theatricality of temple culture, which was a complex organizational network used to organize militias and other forms of sanctioned violence.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Meulenbeld shows how Three Kingdoms , Outlaws of the Marsh , and Journey to the West were selected by May Fourth activists because they fit the model of modern fiction better than other works in the same category.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“These Ming dynasty 'novels' were sacred collections of theatrical rituals of canonization, each containing a hundred or more chapters - standalone rituals each of which was referred to as an opera [ xiju 戏剧 ] and strung together by an overarching plot.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Canonization rituals were performed before battles to clarify the intentions of the combatants and to infuse them with demonic powers by enlisting reformed resident demons and baleful spirits of past conflicts.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“But Canonization of the Gods gave away its purpose in the title and the text's religious content was too overt so it was sidelined.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“In the capital city of Beijing there is a sort of national shrine to war dead called The Temple of the Eastern Peak. It was the central temple of all militia organizations in which Li Nezha was enshrined.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Canonization rituals told their stories and transformed these demonic warriors into gods while simultaneously enlisting them in the service of righteousness.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“These ritual plays were performed by professional actors, by militia participants, and by Daoist priests.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“These martial operas were scalable for both small- and large-group warfare.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“When local militias banded together under a military command structure, they performed these plays and staged narratives in which local gods and demons worked together toward a common goal.”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
In the citing paper
“Meulenbeld focuses on the role of Daoist priests in performing and codifying these rituals, citing evidence that, during the Yuan dynasty, generals performed plays on the stage (which means that professional, low-caste actors must have been part of this process, too).”
From Book review : Demonic warfare: Daoism, territorial networks, and the history of a Ming novel (2015) · cites this paper as Meulenbeld, 2015
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Cited by 46
Metadata
- Authors
- Meulenbeld, M. R. E.
- Corresponding author
- Meulenbeld, Mark R. E.
- Venue
- University of Hawaii Press eBooks
- Publisher
- University of Hawai'i Press
- Published
- 2015-01-31
- OpenAlex
- W4254530930
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2016: 4
- FWCI
- 2.53
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- University of Hawaii Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Chinese history and philosophy
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Historical, Literary, and Cultural Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › General Arts and Humanities › Cultural and Mythological Studies
- Keywords
- Fengshen Yanyi, vernacular fiction, late Ming dynasty, local militias, religious festivals, religion and literature, religious ideology
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- Meulenbeld, M. R. E. (2015). Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel. University of Hawaii Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.21313/hawaii/9780824838447.001.0001
