Steps of perfection : exorcistic performers and Chinese religion in twentieth-century Taiwan /

Despite the mustard yellow, brown, and viridian dust jacket--inappropriate colors for a book suffused with five color/phases of metaphysics--this is an excellent study of Taiwanese religious culture. Combining a thorough knowledge of Chinese historical and religious writings with camcorder ethnography, Sutton (history, Carnegie Mellon Univ.) explores the face painted "ghostly generals"--the entourage of the Five Emperors/Plague Gods that "step the void," dancing cosmic patterns of Daoism in modern Taiwan. This specialized study for specialists offers no concessions to help general readers visualize settings and performances. The "hollow images"--huge masks of the drowned and the hanged friends that grace the City God temples--form an important part of discussions but remain unillustrated, as are the face paintings. Originating in Fuzhou, Fujian, the Plague Gods were introduced to Taiwan in the 18th century and repressed under Japanese colonialism. These troupes of disciplined, generally teenaged, dancers reemerged under Guomindang dictatorship. With modernization, prosperity, and growing interest in traditional religion, unaided by written texts, the repertoires have diversified without losing integrity, although some professional troupes practice self-mortification for sensationalism. This important work proves that Taiwanese culture must be understood as distinct from Mainland Chinese culture. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students and faculty. F. B. Bessac emeritus, University of Montana