Daoist Rituals in Fictional Narratives: The Function of Luotian dajiao in Shuihu zhuan

Abstract

Rituals in fictional narratives influence the plot and the protagonists, thus shaping the audience’s understanding of the story. A ritual known as Luotian dajiao 羅天大醮 (Great Offering of All Heaven), one of the grandest Daoist ceremonies, serves multiple functions in the Chinese novel Shuihu zhuan 水滸傳 (the Water Margin). As the main narrative arc progresses, this ritual saves the state from plague, establishes hierarchy among heroes, and offers solace to the deceased. In the plots where Luotian dajiao averts the plague in the name of the Empire and establishes the heroes’ hierarchical positions, it actually incorporates Daoism with political functions, thereby embodying the story with political overtones. Meanwhile, the narrative provides a deeper insight into the ritual’s social roles in reality, such as averting catastrophes and liberating souls.

In this paper, I studied the political and social functions of this ritual by discussing Daoist scriptures as well as the attitude of the Ming court towards it before and during the time of this novel’s circulation. Based on these fundamentals, I explored Luotian dajiao’s distinctive narrative functions in Shuihu zhuan, focusing on how it was held by the characters labeled as “villains” rather than the Emperor and how it communicated political ideologies to readers through its literary representation. This study aims to bridge the gap in scholarship regarding the depiction of religious rituals in fiction, exploring their related social functions and the political perspectives they embody and convey.