Native Soil and Destiny of Southeastern China

Huang+Ziyi

（College of Ethnology and Sociology， Minzu University of China， Beijing， 100081， China）

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 8， NO.3， 64-75， 2017 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2017.03.10

Abstract：

The modern transformation that took place in China was not only a process of change for the nation and society which influenced individuals destinies， but it was also a profound ideological reform. The understanding and description of this grand historical prospect is a core concern in Chinese Anthropology. The Golden Wing， written by Lin Yaohua in the form of novel， made a significant breakthrough. It presents his understanding of Chinese political and economic modernization， as well as change in the individual spiritual world through a specific case in Fujian. Lins conception in this book of a blueprint for the modernization of Chinese villages is still worthy of our consideration at present.

Lins definition of culture contains two aspects. On the one hand， it attaches importance to Communications Theory as found in the American school of Phenomenological Sociology； on the other hand， its source derives from Alfred RadcliffBrowns structural functionalism that discussed interpersonal structural relationships. Based on these two categories of interpersonal structural relationships， the Golden Wing vividly depicts how different subjects manage to maintain balanced relationships by adjusting themselves to each other； how subjects maintain a balance between structural and communicative relationships； and how community regulations and societal norms change when faced with modernity. On the other hand， it artfully presents the tension between tradition and modernity as well as the continuity between them. Moreover， it shows how subjects react to tension and continuity.

The core issue is presented in the preface of the English version of the Golden Wing： namely， how could two families， which were once of equal standing， have been so transformed by two entirely different fates within only a little more than a score of years？” One answer view is that fate is determined by “Fengshui” （Geomany） However， from the perspective of sociology， the rise and fall of an individual is decided by the way they handle social relationships.

This book consists of three parts： 1）traditional village life represented by the “Golden Wing household” and the “Dragon Ball household” ； 2）The initial business of the shop in the commercial center of Hukou township； and 3）the service provided by Fuzhou shopping company after the emergence of the state and the entry of the world market. The main content of the novel is that in a rapidly changing society， people with different spiritual frameworks have different destinies. And， that these spiritual frameworks can be divided into those based upon a belief in Fengshui， and those with an ability to handle relationships. Peoples destiny was decided by their different philosophies of life within the framework of Fengshui.

The main characters， Donglin and Fengzhou， initially ran a store together in Hukou town. Although Donglin started a modern business， Fengzhou retained his traditional business attitude. He was a traditional job bearer all his life， whereas Donglin， understood the modern of division of labor， observed a wider market. He perceived a villagetowncity system which is just like the model described by Skinner. Within his role of store manager， Donglin maintained the relationship with his family， but， at the same time he built up a network of relationships with merchants， banks and dockmen in Fuzhou city. Donglin always made profit for the store in Hukou. Furthermore， he was able to solve problems and reduce damages when facing a crisis.

We should understand thesociocultural network in the Golden Wing as one which combines and complements structural functionalism and interactionism. It is a metaphor for the “rubberband” plus “bamboopole”. The “rubberband” contains original dimensions as well as the emotional and effective lines which occur in communication and interactions. Meanwhile， the equilibrium not only functions in an individuals interpersonal network， but also impacts on the intersystem constituted by different networks. They form the entire inner relationships between a systemsystem construction， rather than the dotspace relationship. Balance takes place inside a system and between systems. The bamboopoles form a lot of groups， rather than serve as evenly and diffusely distributed systems. There are significant differences between every bamboopole， and every bamboopole has a unique inner spiritual structure that is influenced by that epoch. In order to explain how the whole society keeps a sense of balance between tradition and modernity during the time it moves towards modernization， Lin used the intermittent imbalances found in interpersonal networks and systems which expressed the process of social change.

Lin built equality into“destiny” and “interpersonal relationship”， while Raymond Firth considered inner spiritual features as those which determine destiny and the spirit that leads to destined endings. Firth went back to the western literal tradition， rather than resorting to the explanation of destiny in social science， an explanation which is related to the criticism of cultural functionalism. Shirokogoroff， the early Russian anthropologist， criticized saying that traditional village ethnographies were unable to reveal the Chinese ideologic world， nor its structural change. The introduction written by Firth for the Golden Wing also contained a similar meaning. Lin was not unaware of the changing spiritual world. Moreover， the grandfather， Donglin and the 3rd Brother—namely， the differences in the ways of thinking among these three generationsis potentially the key point in the Golden Wing. By shaping a figure like Donglin， Lin wrote how Chinese take good use of determinism. For Protestants who believe in predestination， a good economic mentality is manifested through their deep belief in Gods grace for the future. Their intent is to participate in secular business， and to trust themselves to run their business well and to glorify God. While in terms of determinism， having a good mentality shows that one is comfortable about what bad has happened before， which is taken as a test from heaven. Lin absorbed Wu Wenzaos thought and used Malinowskis method of studying the spiritual aspects of culture， through the style of a vivid novel which expressed not only the changes in material and institutional culture， but also the evolutions in spiritual culture

Rationalism enters into the traditional networks of meaning rather than replacing it. Modern rationality can play its role while connecting with traditional networks of meaning， which is the unique aspect considered by Lin. From Lins view on Fengshui and individuals in the book， we can understand that traditional networks of meaning， like Fengshui， will not disappear easily and are still likely to be effective.

Key Words：modernization；equilibrium；inner world evolution；ethnography

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