{"product_id":"becoming-guanyin-9780231190138","title":"Becoming Guanyin","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYuhang Li examines how lay Buddhist women in late imperial China forged a connection with the subject of their devotion, arguing that women used their own bodies to echo that of Guanyin. She combines empirical research with theoretical insights from both art history and Buddhist studies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[A] lavishly-illustrated, impeccably-researched, ground-breaking book. * Asian Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eA refreshing and much needed foray into the lives and experiences of everyday women within the social context Li investigates. -- Elizabeth Miller * Religious Studies Review *\u003cbr\u003eVirtually every page of \u003ci\u003eBecoming Guanyin\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates Li’s impressively wide-ranging erudition and her keen powers of observation and analysis....a major contribution to scholarship. * Nan nü *\u003cbr\u003eLi has expertly demonstrated a wholly new way of studying the religious expression of women in imperial China. Those with an interest in Chinese religion, particularly Buddhism, as well as those interested in gender studies and religion, and the anthropology of religion, would find this volume invaluable. -- Joseph Chadwin, University of Vienna * Religious Studies Review *\u003cbr\u003eRichly illustrated and described in great detail, Li’s book provides a vivid picture of lay Buddhist women’s devotion to Guanyin. * Journal of Chinese Religions *\u003cbr\u003eScholars of Buddhism or Chinese history of the late imperial era will certainly find inspiration and useful information for their own research in the broad scope of this book’s textual and visual primary sources, while all readers can enjoy its accessible style, photos and depictions of stunning artifacts and ancient tombs, quirky anecdotes and creative imaginations from vernacular stories, as well as the other ‘skilful means’ Li employs to  discover the repressed and hidden agency of female Buddhists in late imperial China. * Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies *\u003cbr\u003eYuhang Li is, by training, an art historian. However, her take on Guanyin goes beyond the realms of art history. Li analyzes the female portrayal of Guanyin through paintings, material culture of embroidery, theatrical display of dance, archaeological objects, scripture, and literature. This is truly an interdisciplinary work. -- Chün-fang Yü, author of \u003ci\u003eKuan-yin: The Chinese Transformation of Avalokitesvara\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat distinguishes \u003ci\u003eBecoming Guanyin\u003c\/i\u003e from other excellent work on women and religion in late imperial China is its careful attention to the material culture of religious practice, from objects women made to objects of worship. The book should appeal to scholars and students in a variety of disciplines—history, art history, religion, literature, and gender studies. -- Ann Waltner, coauthor of \u003ci\u003eFamily: A World History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBecoming Guanyin \u003c\/i\u003eis a truly innovative and interdisciplinary book that explores how lay women expressed religious devotion in late imperial China. Through a critical examination of women’s hairpins, embroidery made from women’s hair, and courtesan dance performances, Yuhang Li responds with intelligence to current scholarship on visual and material culture, women’s history, and religious studies. Highly recommended! -- Shih-shan Susan Huang, author of \u003ci\u003ePicturing the True Form: Daoist Visual Culture in Traditional China\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a word, the book is rich—in illustrations, narratives, descriptions, and details, some public and some private and even intimate. * Reading Religion *\u003cbr\u003eProvides a new perspective to look at Chinese women’s religious experience through her study of material objects produced by women. This book is definitely a very positive contribution to the study of gender and religion in practice. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *\u003cbr\u003eOne of the book's most significant contributions is to break down the boundaries between the study of art history, religious history, and gender history. -- Yan Liang * Religious Studies Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Figures\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction: Gendered Materialization of Guanyin\u003cbr\u003e1. Dancing Guanyin: The Transformative Body and Buddhist Courtesans\u003cbr\u003e2. Painting Guanyin with Brush and Ink: Negotiating Confucianism and Buddhism\u003cbr\u003e3. Embroidering Guanyin with Hair: Efficacious Pain and Skill\u003cbr\u003e4. Mimicking Guanyin with Hairpins: Jewelry as a Means of Transcendence\u003cbr\u003eConclusion: From Home to Temple and Court: Restaging Women’s Devotional Objects\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400335991127,"sku":"9780231190138","price":29.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/becoming-guanyin-9780231190138","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}