In 1375, Emperor Hongwu, sitting in a newly constructed hall, reportedly heard strange noises on the roof. Believing them to be the result of carpenter sorcery, he ordered the execution of all craftsmen involved. Since then, rumors of magic have circulated among both the elite and ordinary villagers.
This talk examines two types of sources: anecdotal writings (biji 筆記) by literati before 1949, and oral accounts collected by early ethnographers in the 1920s and by myself during fieldwork. Across these materials, several recurring narrative patterns can be concluded, such as carpenters hiding dice to lure homeowners into gambling. I argue that these rumors reflect popular anxieties and efforts at sense-making, which gave rise to the “magic of Lu Ban (魯班, patron deity of craftsmen),” featuring sorcery, counter-sorcery, and the curse upon magical practitioners themselves.
Sun Jiayue is a PhD candidate at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. His research focuses on the anthropology of Chinese popular religion, ritual, and folk literature. His dissertation is titled “Apprentices of the Immortal Master: Ritual, Magic, and the Carpenters’ Cult of Lu Ban in South China.”
This series aims to introduce a wide range of cutting-edge research in various disciplines and areas. If you have any questions about the Interdisciplinary Research Seminar or would like to be removed from this mailing list, please contact Professor Ghassan Moazzin (gmoazzin@hku.hk).
Light refreshments will be served for registered participants attending the seminar in person.
