Sectarian Cult, Religion Family and Local Society: The Case Study of Yao Wen-yu Family of Qingyuan County, Zhejiang from Late 17th to Mid-19th Century

The rise of sectarian cults was one of the most significant religious changes that happened in local society from late seventeenth century China. This article combines archival research and field work to reestablish a Qingyuan county based cult leader, Yao Wen-yu (1578-1646) and his family history, to explore the role of his vegetarian cult in Southeastern China, especially in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces from the late 17th to the mid-19th century. This article suggests that in addition to spreading their teaching, the organization built by Yao and his followers actually offered various religious services, including group classical chanting, funeral mutual aid service, and charitable drive to serve the daily life religious needs of local society. Moreover, regarding societal changes since the late Ming dynasty, this article also argues that Yao’s local cult organization should be considered a “religion family” in local society, because their teaching and organization actually had built a fictive kinship organization to go beyond the traditional kinship organization’s limits to serve the people who chose to escape from their original family. By examining this period of Yao cult family and Late Ming to Mid-Qing history, this article sheds light on the dynamic, fluid community religious life in local society.