停燈向曉：中國閩西鄉村儀式、環境與人關係的討論

Abstract

在解鎖了「世界工廠」和「基建狂魔」的稱號成就之後，政府開始鼓勵中國青年返鄉就業，年輕人受到政策感召回到農村進行家鄉建設，卻對自己的家鄉和未來都充滿了迷茫與不適感。 本文以閩西延祥村燈會儀式的發展為例，探討當地在城鎮化與市場化的過程中所遭逢的轉型與困境。過去對中國鄉村傳統儀式的討論，多是從文化建構論的角度討論儀式過去如何作為地方精英在地方社會建立秩序和翻轉其身份的工具，或是在「非物質文化遺產」框架下討論傳統儀式的保護與存續。 而本文通過對中國閩西鄉村環境特徵的關注，重新檢視儀式、環境與人之間的關係。論文前半部分，從延祥的地理環境特徵入手，通過村民與環境互動的日常，討論作為地方信仰的「社公」如何串聯起延祥村民和其他生靈的聯繫；後半部分，則是聚焦在燈會儀式中，分別從花燈的製作和儀式的變遷過程出發，討論花燈的製作及儀式過程如何幫助當地人思考自身與地方乃至國家之間的關係，了解花燈與延祥人之間命運的扣連，也因此，等待與地方重新建立連結的不止是燈會，還有在流浪在自己家鄉的年輕人。

After unlocking the titles of "World Factory" and "Infrastructure Maniac", the government began to encourage Chinese youth to return to their hometowns for employment. Young people were inspired by the policy to return to the countryside to build their hometowns, but they were confused about their hometowns and their futures. Using the development of the Lantern ritual in Yanxiang Village, Fujian Province as a case study, this paper explores the transformations and challenges encountered by the local community during the processes of urbanization and marketization. Previous discussions on traditional Chinese rural rituals have often focused on how they served as tools for local elites to establish order and transform their identities within local society, or on the preservation and continuity of traditional rituals within the framework of "intangible cultural heritage." This thesis re-examines the relationship between rituals, the environment, and people by focusing on the environmental characteristics of rural areas in western Fujian, China. The first part of the paper starts with an analysis of the geographical features of Yanxiang Village. It discussed how "She gong" as a local belief, connects the villagers of Yanxiang with other living beings through their daily interactions with the environment. The second part focuses on the Lantern Festival ritual, exploring how the production of lanterns and the changing of the ritual process helps residents contemplate their relationship with themselves, their homeland, and even the nation. By understanding the interconnectedness between lanterns and the fate of the people of Yanxiang, the paper highlights that it is not just the ritual that awaits reconnection with the locality, but also the young people wandering in their hometowns.