Baojuan (宝卷 ''bǎojuàn''), literally precious scrolls, are a genre of prosimetric texts (texts written in an alternation of prose and verse) of a

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...

nature, produced within the context of

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion comprises a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. This includes the veneration of ''Shen (Chinese folk religion), shen'' ('spirits') and Chinese ancestor worship, ances ...

and individual

Chinese folk religious sects Chinese salvationist religions or Chinese folk religious sects are a Greater China, Chinese religious tradition characterised by a concern for salvation (moral fulfillment) of the person and the society.; ''passim'' They are distinguished by egali ...

. They are often written in vernacular Chinese and recount the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

surrounding a deity or a hero, or constitute the

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

and

philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

scriptures of organized folk sects. ''Baojuan'' is a type of performative text or storytelling found in China that emphasizes worship of ancient deities from Buddho-Daoist sects often recounting stories concerning suffering or apocalyptical scenarios. Because ''Baojuan'' was not considered a serious art-form for most of its existence, nonlinear records of baojuan make it difficult to credit writers, actors, and other contributors to the genre as very little, if any, mark of these individuals exist.

Background

The modern study of “precious scrolls” (''baojuan'' 寶卷) can be said to begin with the publication by Zheng Zhenduo 鄭振鐸 of his “Foqu xulu” 佛曲敘錄, which is a catalogue of Buddhist songs. In 1927 in Zhongguo wenxue yanjiu 中國文學研究 tudies on Chinese Literature An explicit start date for ''Baojuan'' is not known, but scholars generally place it on a timeline in three parts: a first (early), second (middle), and third (late) period with each period corresponding to a new development within the genre. The date range looked at by scholars begins in the 13th century (Ming) and ends in the early 20th century (Qing) with the three periods separated as follows: 13th-15th being designated as the early period, the 16th-18th date range being designated as the middle period, and ending finally with the 19th-20th centuries being designated as the late period. Within each period, there were notable developments within ''Baojuan'' literature, from its earliest inception during the early period as simply "propagating" Buddhist beliefs to the late period where it takes on a new and secular foothold within the culture of areas where it was most practiced (Jiangsu Province). ''Baojuan'' is still found today in parts of China - most notably Changshu city located in Jiangsu Province - sometimes called "telling scriptures." "Telling scriptures" refers to special groups of actors or individuals who may perform ''Baojuan'' stories as plays or recitations to common folk of the town in temples or other places. This type of storytelling emphasizes Buddhist teachings and morals but has also been known to highlight historical figures.

List

* The Precious Scroll of the Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven * The Precious Scroll of Mulian Rescuing his Mother in Three Rebirths

References

Chinese folk religious texts Chinese culture Chinese Buddhist texts Taoist texts {{China-myth-stub