Benzhuism () is the

indigenous religion Indigenous religion or native religion is a category used in the study of religion to demarcate the religious belief systems of communities described as being " indigenous". This category is often juxtaposed against others such as the " world r ...

of the

Bai people The Bai or Pai (Bai language, Bai: , ; zh, c=白族, p=Báizú), are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, Yunnan Province, Bijie area of Guizhou, Guizhou Province, and Sangzhi C ...

, an ethnic group of

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It consists in the worship of the ''ngel zex'', the Bai word for "patrons" or "lords", rendered as ''benzhu'' (本主) in Chinese, that are local gods and deified ancestors of the Bai people. It is very similar to common Chinese religion. While many of the Bai are

Buddhists Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...

, the local government of China has recently helped the revival of the Benzhu

ethnic religion In religious studies, an ethnic religion or ethnoreligion is a religion or belief associated with notions of heredity and a particular ethnicity. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam ...

, for example through the promotion of the Gwer Sa La festival.Liang Yongjia, 2013.

The patrons

Local lords and ancestors

The ''benzhu'' are mainly deified ancestors, "patrons" or "lords" of the local communities. Every Bai village has its own pantheon of gods which has formed throughout its existence, incorporating its history in deifying virtuous leaders, warriors, and

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

es. ''Cultural China''
The Benzhu religion of the Bai
These deities, who are tied to the immediate surroundings, protect the people against sickness and violence, foster local economy, and grant prosperity. Generally, one village enshrines one benzhu, and there are also cases of multiple villages consecrated to the same benzhu. In every village around

Erhai Lake Erhai or Er Lake (), is an alpine fault lake in Dali City, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan province, China. Erhai was also known as Yeyuze () or Kunming Lake () in ancient times. Etymology The character "洱" (er) does not have the same meaning as ea ...

the local people have developed a peculiar mythology about their local lord, differing from that of neighboring villages. This tradition is similar to that of the City God Temple of Chinese religion.

Gods of nature

Other ''benzhu'' are gods of the generation of the local place. These include the God of the Mountain, the God of the Crops, the God of the Hunt, the

Dragon King The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a Chinese water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the '' lóng'' in ...

or the Mother Goddess of the Dragon King.

Features

Benzhu festivals

Benzhu Festivals in

Dali City Dali City (, Bai: or ) is the county-level seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Yunnan, China. Dali City is administered through 12 township-level districts, two of which are also commonly referred to as Dali. Xiag ...

take place according to the

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...

, after

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

. During festivals, the benzhu shrine are taken from the temples and carried through the towns to a different location where they stay for a number of days. The villagers follow the gods to the designated place burning incense and worshiping with food and money.

Psychology and shamanism

The Bai believe that the soul does not die with the body, but it can go to the "Kingdom of the Shades" helped by complex ritual ceremonies performed by the living community. Angry spirits can cause illness, but local gods can protect people against them. Illnesses are caused by the possession of evil spirits and they can be treated by female

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

Cult of the white stones

The Nama branch of the Bai, residing near the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

, preserves a cult of the white stones common to the ethnic groups descended from the

Qiang people The Qiang people (Qiangic languages, Qiangic: ''Rrmea''; ) are an List of ethnic groups in China, ethnic group in China. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognised by the People's Republic of China, with a population of approx ...

. Some believe they represent the bones of the ancestors, others that they are a representation of the Fire God, a deity worshipped around

References

Bibliography

* Liang Yongjia.
Turning Gwer Sa La Festival into Intangible Cultural Heritage: State Superscription of Popular Religion in Southwest China
. In: '' China: An International Journal''. Volume 11, Number 2, August 2013. pp. 58-75

External links

Benzhuism of the Bai Ethnic Minority
China & Asia Cultural Travel, TanSuo Cultural Travel Solution Ltd. {{Religion topics Bai people Religion in Yunnan East Asian religions Shamanism in China