Our Lady on the Mountain: The Cult of a Daoist Immortal in Village China

Abstract

Wei Huacun 魏華存 (ca. 252–334) is known as a revered Daoist immortal in early Daoism. What is less known is that she has been worshipped as a tutelary saint in north China. Temple inscriptions at her main temple on Mt. Yangluo (Yangluoshan 陽洛山), Qinyang, Henan Province, testify to the gratitude of local magistrates and villagers for her miraculous reversal of dry spells. Temples in her honor were erected in villages across the county. Villagers collectively made pilgrimages to her main temple on Mt. Yangluo though the early twentieth century. Deploying temple inscriptions and village guidelines for collective pilgrimage, this essay explores the development of Lady Wei in local religion. It demonstrates that texts in popular religion, such as temple inscriptions and ritual guidelines mediated the traditionalization of vernacular beliefs and practices.