This week’s chapter was about the primarily Fuzhounese religious congregations in Chinatown. To gather data for this section, Guest had to do a lot of research. He checked open to the public resources like Yellow Pages, but he had to do a lot more fieldwork on foot than by already existing catalogs.
I thought it was very interesting that because of the changes that have occurred in the laws regarding amnesty and citizenship granted to Chinese immigrants over the last few decades, the Chinese congregations of Chinatown were visibly stratified accordingly. Something else I thought was interesting in the chapter was the difference one person can make in the success or failure of a congregation. The author’s interview with Master Lu (Pg.129-131) demonstrated Master Lu’s close communication with He Xian Jun. It would seem that Master Lu’s congregants very much revered him and respected his connection to He Xian Jun not only in Fuqi, but also in New York City. There was a large contingent of congregants who attended the New York temple annually, and their donations enabled Master Lu to build a grand temple back in Fuqi.
On the other hand, while the Temple of Heavenly Thanksgiving was part of and maintained a large religious network across countries like He Xian Jun Temple, Guest’s chapter did not seem to indicate that there was one priest or master in charge of the Temple of Heavenly Thanksgiving. He wrote that there were several temple leaders. However, I think it is apparent from a comparison of the two temples that the difference that could lead to a lasting, thriving congregation as opposed to a lasting, wavering congregation could be as small as one great man (or woman, to be p.c.).
One more thing: Guest mentioned that St. Joseph’s church was getting its members to sign a petition urging the Chinese government to stop persecuting Catholics. This reminded me a little bit of the Mexican Antorcha, which was supposed to raise awareness for the trials of the undocumented and maybe even get the Mexican government to pressure the American government to give them amnesty. Instead of the Mexicans leaving Mexico, coming to America, and sending messages back to Mexico for help, the Chinese left China, came to America, and was tried to send a message back to the Chinese government. I thought the semi-parallel was interesting.
