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Special Feature

Unequal Inscriptions of the Hungry Ghosts (Yulan) Festival Celebrations as Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hong Kong

Selina Ching Chan
p. 49-59

Abstract

This paper delineates unequal inscriptions of the Yulan Festival, whether as national intangible cultural heritage (ICH) or local ICH, for different ethnic groups in Hong Kong. I argue that the authorised heritage discourse that underlies the inscription of the Yulan Festival is based on the fossilised imagination of ethnic traditions and identities. Classifying the Yulan Festival according to ethnic ritual traditions implies an assumption on the existence of a homogenous ethnic community and tradition, and seems to overlook the dynamic of ethnic tradition, as well as the hybrid and flexible nature of culture and identity. This authorised system has acknowledged and exaggerated differences between various ethnic traditions and has understated the importance of integrated practices, diversified, flexible, and hybrid practices, the changing ethnic complexity of local communities, as well as the subjective agency of individuals. A gap between what was practiced and what was institutionalised is noted, and individual agency is observed in negotiating the festival in relation to the institutionalised heritage designations.

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Editor’s notes

Manuscript received on 18 July 2022. Accepted on 16 December 2022.

Excerpt

Full text document will be published online on March 2024.

Outline

Introduction
Inscriptions of ICH in Hong Kong: Politics of recognition
Classifying the Yulan Festival by ethnicity?
Negotiating the categorisation of the Yulan Festival: Hybrid and diverse practices
Conclusion

First lines

Introduction

This paper adopts a critical heritage approach to interrogate the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) inscription exercise in Hong Kong by reference to the case study of the Yulan 盂蘭 (Hungry Ghosts) Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow (Chaozhou) community since 2009. The Yulan Festival has its origin in the Yulanpen Sutra (yulanpen jing 盂蘭盆經), which recounts how one of the Buddha’s disciples, Mulian , found that his deceased mother was reborn and starving in the hungry ghost realm. Mulian sought help from the Buddha and managed to release his mother from suffering by offering food to the monastic community. Today, the festival is held on the seventh month of the lunar calendar and is celebrated in different Chinese communities, including mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. It is a festival for believers to pray for their ancestors and pacify the wandering ghosts of the netherworld.

The festival celebrations were mainly brought to Hong Kong by migra...

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References

Bibliographical reference

Selina Ching Chan, Unequal Inscriptions of the Hungry Ghosts (Yulan) Festival Celebrations as Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hong KongChina Perspectives, 132 | 2023, 49-59.

Electronic reference

Selina Ching Chan, Unequal Inscriptions of the Hungry Ghosts (Yulan) Festival Celebrations as Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hong KongChina Perspectives [Online], 132 | 2023, Online since 01 March 2024, connection on 10 June 2023. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/14625; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/chinaperspectives.14625

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About the author

Selina Ching Chan

Selina Ching Chan is Academic Vice President and Professor of Sociology at the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, 10 Wai Tsui Crescent, North Point, Hong Kong (scchan@hksyu.edu).

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Copyright

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