Description
Book SynopsisIn Lineages Embedded in Temple Networks, Richard Wang explores the key role played by elite Daoists in social and cultural life in Ming China, notably by mediating between local networks and the state through their clerical lineagesempire-wide networks channeling knowledge and resourcesand by controlling central temples.
Trade Review[Wang’s] extensive archival research and fieldwork, as well as frequent engagement with scholarly studies in multiple fields, have together yielded an exciting new book on Ming China…Essential reading for students of Chinese religions and local societies well beyond the Ming period. -- Jinping Wang * Journal of Chinese History *
A meticulous study into Daoism’s critical role in the Ming that proves essential for the study of Chinese religious history. …Will prove indispensable for students of Chinese religions and, moreover, promises to be a critical source for all those engaged with how the relationship between local and central authority impacts religious life. -- Michael E. Naparstek * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
Deserves great credit for presenting a clear and compelling social/cultural history of Ming Daoism and local society based on an interdisciplinary approach combining literary sources and ethnographic research. …The author has set a new standard for research on Daoist history. This work will be of immense value to researchers, as well as graduate students and advanced undergraduates interested in these topics. -- Paul R. Katz * Ming Studies *
Richard G. Wang offers a new…impressive book on Daoism in Ming culture and society. He has established himself as the authority on this topic, which is a whole scholarly field in its own right… Scholars interested in Chinese society and culture, especially during the late imperial period…would hugely benefit from reading this book, as it will help them understand how deeply intertwined the political and institutional culture of the Ming empire as well as the structure of lineage centric local society were with Daoist ritual traditions. -- Vincent Goossaert * Journal of the American Oriental Society *
