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Ritual, Identity, and Resilience: The Guzang Festival in Miao Cultural Heritage

Author(s)

Ying Chen1, Yifan Sun2, Rui Guan1,*, Jiayi Wang1

Affiliation(s)

1School of Management, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 2School of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK *Corresponding Author

Abstract

The Miao people, one of China’s most culturally rich ethnic groups, have preserved their traditions through rituals like the Guzang Festival, which embodies ancestor worship, nature reverence, and communal cohesion. This ethnographic study employs participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and field note documentation to explore the Guzang Festival in Xijiang Miao Village, Guizhou Province. The Guzang Festival serves as a mechanism for social cohesion, integrating interpersonal relationships through gift exchange and kinship, distinguishing kinship through specific gift-giving practices, and strengthening clan identity through ancestral worship. The study identifies four key processes: inviting ancestors, guests entering, village closure, and completion. Dominant symbols such as ancestral spirits, the drum, the Shaman, and the Guzang leader play central roles in organizing and reinforcing cultural and social order. The transmission of Guzang leadership and the establishment of inter-familial relationships from limited intervention in the pre-1950s to severe setbacks during the Cultural Revolution and a revival post-1980s, highlight the festival’s role in cultural continuity and social stability. The Guzang Festival exemplifies the resilience and adaptability of Miao cultural practices in the face of modernization and state intervention, providing valuable insights into the preservation of cultural heritage and the dynamics of ritual practices in contemporary society.

Keywords

Guzang Festival; Miao Culture; Ritual Semiotics; State Intervention; Social Cohesion.

References

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