Author(s)

Nanfang Xu ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ WLSA Shanghai Academy, Shanghai, 200243, China

Corresponding Author

Nanfang Xu

ABSTRACT

China's funeral rituals have a long history. A multitude of studies have centered on the hierarchy within ancient Chinese funerals and the transformations that funerals have undergone, but little research focuses on funeral rituals in rural Anhui. My research question is: how do ideas from Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism influence funeral rituals in rural areas of Anhui, China. A review of relevant literature revealed that Confucianism emphasizes filial piety, Taoism believes in heaven, and Buddhism supports reincarnation. For my field research in Xu's village, I recorded the entire funeral ritual and explored the meanings of different parts through interviews. Rural Anhui's funeral rituals have local characteristics that are absent in other places, such as the Lotus Lantern Ceremony, the presence of traditional musical plays in the ceremony, Heavenly Maiden Blooming Flowers, etc. I found that the three religions cannot fully explain the funeral rituals in Anhui's rural areas. Many details in the funeral are impacted by local customs, the business practices of the funeral industry, and the local history of every village. Thus, my conclusion is that funerals in Anhui are not only influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, but also by various social factors and history.

KEYWORDS

Funeral Rituals; Rural Anhui; Religious Influence; Local Customs

CITE THIS PAPER

Nanfang Xu. Funeral Rituals in Rural Anhui. Journal of Sociology and Ethnology (2026). Vol. 8, No.1, 74-82. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jsoce.2026.080110.

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