Abstract
In China’s southeastern coastal Hakka settlements, folk temples have become centers of faith for township residents, many of whom establish spiritual connections to these sacred places through religious activities such as worship, rituals, and prayers. Using the Guandi Temple (located in Gongguan Township, Beihai, Guangxi) as an example, this chapter explores how the ‘spirit’ of a sacred place and memory of it shape residents’ sense of security and community from an architectural phenomenology. Our findings suggest that this mechanism occurs through three pathways: first, as a living world, the unique religious architectural space is integrated into residents’ daily life space; second, as an environmental atmosphere, it shapes the local, spiritual, and cultural space; and third, as a mythological narrative, the temple tells the history of the local community and transmits intergenerational memories. These three paths reinforce residents’ attachment to sacred places, enhancing their sense of security and community and, in turn, their spiritual well-being.
Author Note
Correspondence concerning this paper may be addressed to Xu Huang. Email: 09432@njnu.edu.cn
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Ying, L., Huang, X. (2023). Clans and Spiritual Space: A Case Study of Guandi Temple in an Ancient Hakka Town in South China. In: Counted, V., Ramkissoon, H., Captari, L.E., Cowden, R.G. (eds) Place, Spirituality, and Well-Being. Religion, Spirituality and Health: A Social Scientific Approach, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39582-6_14
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