Social Survey Series of the Republic of China Era -- Volume on Religion and Folk Customs

Author: Li Wenhai, Editor-in-Chief, Xia Mingfang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not Available
Features: A group of pioneers in Chinese sociology research, using scientific methods of social investigation, gathered a vast amount of empirical data through arduous fieldwork, presenting a vivid picture of social life during the Republican era. In the long history of China, the first half of the 20th century marked by the Republic of China, though merely a fleeting moment, was undoubtedly the most turbulent and dramatic period in terms of social life. During this time, new systems coexisted with old traditions, construction and destruction went hand in hand, revolution and counter-revolution clashed, internal and external crises intensified. Every aspect of Chinese society, whether political systems, economic foundations, science and technology, or ideology and cultural customs, underwent significant changes and transformations, ultimately laying a solid foundation for the victory of the New Democratic Revolution.
As time passed, especially with the arrival of the 21st century, "History of the Republic of China" gradually broke free from the framework of the history of the Chinese Revolution and came to be recognized as an important historical period alongside the previous 26 dynasties in Chinese history. In both domestic and international academia, an increasing number of scholars have begun to study various aspects of this period from the perspective of a specific historical era. It is particularly noteworthy that with the deepening of academic research, in response to the needs of contemporary Chinese society, research interest in the Republican era has gradually shifted from the dramatic figures, thrilling political events, and entertaining anecdotes of the past to, or more accurately, delved deeper into, economic and social life. As Marx would say, it is "moving from the superficial appearance of political forms into the depths of social life," thereby making the study of the Republican era more closely linked to contemporary society's focus on economic development.
As a result, the history of the Republic of China has not only presented itself to the modern Chinese people in its original and complete form, becoming a new hot topic and growth point in the study of Chinese history and even the entire academic field, but it has also inevitably played an increasingly significant role in providing historical lessons for the economic construction and social development of contemporary China, thereby attracting broader attention from all sectors of society. However, it is regrettable that to date, despite the extensive collection of Republican-era historical materials, including archives, local chronicles, newspapers and magazines, official documents, private writings, and memoirs from the People's Republic era, these materials have been largely overlooked. There is another unique treasure trove of Republican-era materials—vast amounts of social surveys conducted by major political forces, political factions, local governments, academic organizations, schools, and individual scholars, particularly rural social surveys. Compared to other already compiled materials, these surveys possess unique and irreplaceable academic and collection value.
This is not only because the surveys covered an extremely broad scope, including natural environments and social life in urban, rural, and other areas across most provinces of the country, but more importantly, these surveys were largely completed using modern scientific methods such as modern economics, anthropology, and sociology, and were typically presented in the form of survey reports or academic papers. This approach preserved a large amount of survey data and original materials while also consolidating the analyses, insights, and solutions proposed by intellectuals of the time to address various natural, social, political, and economic issues, making them highly valuable for contemporary reference. These surveys are invaluable firsthand sources for studying and understanding the social issues of old China's urban and rural areas, as well as an extremely rare intellectual repository for today's socioeconomic development.
In fact, the survey materials from the Republican era have already moved beyond the realm of historians and garnered attention from scholars in other disciplines. Thanks to the foresight and strong support of Fujian Education Press, we now have the opportunity to jointly undertake this historical responsibility. However, given the diverse and vast number of social surveys from this period, as well as their scattered and sometimes even lost overseas, it would be impossible and impractical to aim for completeness. Therefore, we have decided to adopt the format of an "edited series" and publish them in stages.
The edited series includes a total of 193 works, which are broadly categorized into 10 volumes based on their survey content, including marriage and family, social security, social organizations, religion and folklore, marginalized societies, urban labor life, rural society, population, cultural and educational institutions, and ethnic minorities. Among these, there are both books published at the time and papers scattered in various newspapers and magazines, as well as some manuscripts and mimeographed works that have not yet been publicly published. Works such as the "Ding County Social Survey," which were reprinted after the liberation and became widely popular, are temporarily excluded from the collection.