| Overview |
"Folk beliefs" are distinct relative to institutional religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, etc.). In the Western world (including Hong Kong), this field of study is called "Popular Religion." Folk beliefs in Taiwan do not have their own religious classics and rituals. When more complex rituals are needed, most of them rely on traditional Taoism (Zhengyi, Lushan). As far as the daily life of the general public in Taiwanese society is concerned, folk beliefs are the most attended religious activities. The pattern of folk beliefs in Taiwan was mainly introduced by immigrants from Yu and Yueyuan Township. However, in Taiwan, due to the special ethnic cultural integration and regional environmental factors, after three or four hundred years of evolution, Taiwan’s unique beliefs have developed their own system in form and connotation.
The academic research of folk beliefs has a considerable degree of social practical significance. At the same time, it must also actively undertake the social responsibility of education promotion. Whether it is data collection or documentary filming, we have frequently cooperated with major temples and local people in various places. Both resource use and local research have positive effects.
This project's director of photography uses high-quality digital image capture technology to record Taiwan's folk beliefs and related religious activities, to build humanities stories from all over the world, and to understand Taiwan's popular religion culture through video contents in order to serve as both academic record and promotional media. |
