ABSTRACT This article investigates different types of rituals that constitute the Daoist repertoire of Yangyuan Village in Hunan (PRC). I first show that the ‘indigenous’ Meishan rituals represent an older – possibly non–Han – stratum of the Yangyuan repertoire. Revolving around mountains, grottoes and other landmarks of the local sacred geography, it nonetheless bears the traces of inter-regional exchange between Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian – an exchange that can be situated in a historical context. Secondly, I show that the local liturgies of Yangyuan are permeated with references to the codifying authority of the regional Daoist institution called Yuxu Gong, and that its rituals were synthesized under the judicial aegis of this temple’s main divinity, the Dark Emperor. It is this exorcist god to whom the divine offices of the law enforcers of Tianxin report. Finally, I make a case for reconsidering the role commonly attributed to Ming dynasty ‘vernacular fiction.’ Instead of serving solely as a source of narrative entertainment, it provided knowledge about ritual traditions and the authoritative institutions associated with them, such as the Yuxu Gong.

中文翻译：

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黑帝定律：道教圣殿及其湖南礼法的编纂

摘要本文研究构成湖南省阳原村道教曲目的各种仪式。我首先表明，“土著”眉山仪式代表了阳原剧目中的一个较古老的阶层，可能是非汉族。它围绕着山脉，石窟和当地神圣地理的其他地标而旋转，但仍带有湖南，江西和福建之间的区域间交流的痕迹，这种交流可以在历史背景下进行。其次，我表明阳源的地方仪式充斥着地方性道教机构于绪宫的编纂权威，其仪式是在该寺庙主要神职人员黑暗皇帝的司法庇护下合成的。天心执法人员的神职人员就是这位驱魔神。最后，我有理由重新考虑通常归因于明朝“白话小说”的角色。它不仅提供了叙事娱乐的来源，还提供了有关仪式传统和与之相关的权威机构的知识，例如玉x宫。