The Stone of Mount Tai: Shigandang Worship in Northern China and the Power of Symbols

A groundbreaking study on Mount Taishan challenges the conventional separation of symbolic meaning and material agency, demonstrating how stones from the holy mountain are perceived and worshipped as interconnected entities. The research reveals that the symbolic power of these stones is intricately linked to human perception and bodily experience, reflecting a local understanding of networks and associations akin to Latourian perspectives. Ethnographic evidence and theoretical analysis were employed to explore this phenomenon, offering new insights into the relationship between material objects, symbols, and human agency in Northern Chinese culture.

wang, x. (2019). The Stone of Mount Tai: Shigandang Worship in Northern China and the Power of Symbols. Material Religion, 15(1), 54–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/17432200.2019.1568767