Jerome Yuchien's Ph.D Thesis
Chapter Six: Nominal Adoption and the Three Deities (part IV)
(note.4)
Besides fortunate women, Topley (1974:244) tells us that, in Canton, devout vegetarians, usually women who are childless and may be rich or poor, are also considered suitable for nominal adoption. It is said that they can improve the adopted child's destiny.
(note.5)
Maspero (1981:118) reports to us that in some places of China, the Bed God and Goddess are also considered as guardians of children. Young married people, upon entering the marriage chamber, prostrate themselves in honour to the pair of deities. It is ordinarily the bed itself which is addressed; but sometimes a picture is hung up, in which they are represented sitting side by side, in official costume, with their tablets of rank in their hands. The young couple, especially when with children, worship the guardians with cakes, fruits, tea and wine on the last day of the year, or on the day after the full moon in the first month, the day after the Lantern Festival.
(note.6)
They are: the Stone Goddess of Pak-biau Ward (#S1; see figure 1); the Stone Goddess of Ka-seng Ward (#S2; see figure 2); the Stone Goddess of Lek-biau Ward (#S4; see figure 4); the Stone Buddha of Uan-lim Town (#S5); see figure 5; the Stone God of Sia-thau Rural- town (#S6; see figure 6); the Stone God of Kim-eng Ward (#S7); the Stone General of Tan-khe Rural-town (#S8); the Stone Divine Grandfather of Pat-po Village (#S9); the Emperor of Six Areas of Tan-suan Rural-town (#S10); the Stone God of Jin-ho Village (#S11; see figure 11); the Stone God of Kang-khau Ward (#S14; see figure 14); the Stone God of Ka-lo Ward (#S18; see figure 18); the Stone God of Tho.-sian Ward (#S20; see figure 20); the Stone God of Sion- lim Ward (#S33; see figure 35); the Stone God of Ka-ho Ward (#S36; see figure 38); the Stone God of Hi-ti Rural-town (#S37; see figure 39); the Literate and Militant Emperor of Po.-ho Village (#S38; see figure 40); the Grandfather of Yellow Stone of Lai-o. District (#S43; see figure 45); the Stone God of Pe-hun Ward (#S44; see figures 46 & 47); the stone Granny of Chhim-khen Rural-town (#S45; see figure 48); the Wind-moving Stone of Bak-sa District (#S48; see figure 51); the Stone God of Su-Lim District (#S50; see figures 53 & 54); the Stone God of Pat-li Rural-town (#S52; see figures 56 & 57); the Stone God of Gien-kiu-in Road (#S55; see figure 60); the Stone God of Chhau-o. Hamlet (#S58; see figure 63); the Stone God of Tang-si Town (#S59); the Stone God of Hong-guan City (#S60; see figure 64) (see also Appendix).
(note.7)
They are: the Pine King of Chong-ui Rural-town (#T2; see figure 67); the Tree God of Peng-ho Ward (#T3; see figure 68); the Tree God of Thau-hun Village (#T4; see figure 69); the Tree God of Siong-tek Village (#T5; see figure 70); the Tree God and Goddess of Kui-sin Village (#T7; see figure 72); the Tree God of Kang-khau Ward (#T8; see figure 73); the Tree God of Tiong-san Ward (#T9; see figure 74); the Banyan Grandfather of Ka-lo Ward (#T13; see figure 78); the Tree God of Tun-ho Ward (#T14; see figure 79); the Divine Tree of Pen-teng Ward (#T19; see figure 84); the Tree God of Cho.- su Lane (#T22; see figure 88); the Tree God of Uan-chip Road (#T23; see figure 89); the Tree God of Ho-peng Ward (#T26; see figure 92); the Banyan Tree Goddess of Thong-liang Village (#T27; see figure 93); the Tree God of Chap-ji Field (#T28; see figure 94); the Tree King of Sai-kang Rural-town (#T30; see figure 96); the Tree God of Po-san Ward (#T31; see figure 97); the Tree God of Lam-huin Ward (#T37); the Tree King of Tai-li Rural-town (#T39; see figure 105) (see also Appendix).
(note.8)
In addition, he (1993:4f) also translates the contents of an "Adoption Agreement" as follows:
Adoption Agreement:
Where at address of (No.), Lane (No.), Sec. (No.) of certain Hsiang of certain Hsien, Taiwan, R.O.C., your humble disciple does hereby pray with the utmost sincerity and devotion that my son/daughter who has been since his/her birth suffering poor health, now I am asking you, the merciful Shu Wang Kung, to accept him/her as your adopted son/daughter, from now on may your blessings be the guarantee of his/her health, so he/she could grow up always in peace without suffering any attacks by the diseases, and your great favour shall be always remembered by it. (Date of the prayer made.)
(note.9)
Not only in Taiwan, this practice can also be found in Jiangshu and Anhui provinces described by Henry Dore (1987) who worked as a missionary for over twenty years there and be found in Canton reported by J. M. Potter (1974). It can be said that this practice is universal in the Chinese world.
(note.10)
The actual hierarchy is not important in practice, since religious activity is focused upon a deity's local cult and the deities are seldom pitted against each other (Cohen 1987:291).
(note.11)
In Taiwan, most venerated natural objects are considered as male. However, three divine stones are worshipped as goddesses and adopt children. I think that it is also based on the notion of maternal nature so that they are treated as female. They are: the Stone Goddess of Pak-biau Ward (#S1; see figure 1), the Stone Goddess of Ka-seng Ward (#S2; see figure 2) and the Stone Goddess of Lek-biau Ward (#S4; see figure 4).
(note.12)
However, the Tree God of Ho-peng Ward (#T26; see figure 92) is an exception. Even though located beside a Tai-chiong-ia temple, the Tree God adopts many children. I believe that this Tree God located beside a spooky spirit with negative energy can be worshipped as a nominal parent is because he performed a great miracle (cf. Chapter Four).
(note.13)
Therefore, the stone Land God of Pei-go Village (#S12; see figure 12); the stone Land God of Tua-un Village (#S13; see figure 13); the stone Land God of Chhen-the Lane (#S21; see figures 21 & 22); the stone Land God of San-tiau Hill (#S23; see figure 25); the stone Land God of E-kham-te Hamlet (#S25; see figure 27); the stone Land God of E-huan Field (#S28; see figure 30); the stone Land God of Sin-hong Ward (#S29; see figure 31); the stone Land God of Chui- bue-a Hamlet (#S30; see figure 32); the stone Land God of Ai-liau Hamlet (#S31; see figure 33); the stone Land God of Phek-chiu Ward (#S32; see figure 34); the stone Land God of Chhien-kah Ward (#S39; see figure 41); the stone Land God of Tong-an Street (#S42; see figure 44); the stone Land God of Tua-kham Village (#S51; see figure 55); the stone Land God of Tiang-ken Village (#S53; see figure 58); the stone Land God of Gien-kiu-in Road (#S54; see figure 59); the stone Land God of Chhau-o. Hamlet (#S61; see figure 65); the tree Land God of In-suan Street (#T11; see figure 76); the tree Land God of the East Gate (#T12; see figure 77) and the tree Land God of Pak-li Rural-town (#T35; see figure 102) do not adopt children (see also Appendix).
(note.14)
However, I am still not sure why the Stone God of Ka-hin Ward (#S35; see figure 37); the First Divine Patriarch of Chiang-chiu District of Chiam-teng Hamlet (#S49; see figure 52); the General Chu of Sai-kang Rural-town (#T29; see figure 95); the Stone God of Tiong-guan Ward (#S19; see figure 19); the Stone God of Sin-hong Ward (#S27; see figure 29); the White Crane Immortal of Chhim-khen Rural-town (#S46; see figure 49); the Stone God of Pak-tau District (#S47; see figure 50); the Beech Grandfather of Pak-si Ward (#T16; see figure 81); the Tree God of Gue-bai Hamlet (#T20; see figure 86); and the Autumn Maple God of Lam-kang District (#T33; see figure 99) do not adopt children (see also Appendix).
(note.15)
Yuan Chang-rue (1993:13) says that in Taiwan there are several ancient coins hung on a red silk thread. Based on field work of Jiangshu and Anhui provinces in China, Dore (1987:29) reports that the coin can be one or several. However, the I have never seen more than one coin hung on a red silk thread in Taiwan. It is probably because nowadays ancient coins are less available.
(note.16)
Therefore, the idea that a deity is sometimes powerless for something is accepted without surprise (Wolf 1974:145; Tsai Wen-hui 1979:27).
