西贡埠广肇帮圣母庙初探

Abstract:China and Vietnam entered into a symbiotic but fluctuating relationship for centuries.As Western countries redefined the global system in the 15th-17th centuries，waves of Chinese emigrants voluntarily or involuntarily left their homelands and arrived at regions of modern Vietnam.Along with population movement came migrant associations that served multiple functions，including religious，recreational，euergetistic，contractual actions and gatherings.This paper studies one such migrant group called Guang-Zhao Association.The GZA built its congregation facility called Sheng-Mu Temple in the Saigon region，in which includes a stele in 1974 that records an inscription concerning a fund-raising document soliciting voluntary donations for the renovation of the Sheng-Mu Temple.Aspects of ritual and architectural design of the Sheng-Mu Temple suggest that migrants have adopted polytheistic worship to emphasize ethnic belonging.Guardian deities of respective guilds as well as local rural deities have been inducted into the religious pantheon of the temple，an inclusive approach that effectively expanded its religious base.Architectural design and decor of the temple，on the other hand，shows that homeland features have been transplanted as well，and preserved through the practice of rituals.Religious donations have been a standard practice by migrants of the GZA as a institutional remedy for questionable contractual conditions to which Chinese migrants were subjected.One example is a hefty poll tax that was often included in the legal agreement.The Sheng-Mu Temple became an urgent task in order to subsidize migrants to pay the poll tax，as well as providing other necessary amenities.The fund-raising inscription also records the geographical distribution of donors，which concentrated in the six provinces of the Nam （南圻）region，essentially forming a network in the lower Mekong River.This inscription shows the considerable influence which the GZA migrants have brought to southern Vietnam during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.

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