【外文摘要】
Abstract This research is an intensive case study on cave dwellings located in Liulin County in Shanxi Province's Luliang area. Based on comprehensive and detailed recordings of the cave dwellings and related folkways on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in Northern China, this study discusses several theoretical issues in folklore study.
This dissertation has four chapters besides the Introduction and Conclusion.
Chapter One examines the distribution of cave dwellings and how it relates to specific ecological and social environments. It puts cave dwellings in the humane environment of village community and suggests that the loam, the landforms and the headwaters have compelling effects on the style of cave dwelling village community.
At the same time, the clan and temples decide the social and religion style of the villages. Chapter Two discusses the different types of cave dwellings in the western Luliang area, from both the builders'and the dwellers'perspectives. It describes the overall structure and local styles of these caves as well as the living styles of their dwellers and hence provides insights into the local folklore. Chapter Three studies the designers and builders of these cave dwellings. These craftsmen such as carpenters, plasterers and Fengshui masters are considered creators as well as inheritors of the cave-dwelling culture. Their craftsmanship contributes to but at the same time is confined by the heritage of the cave-dwelling culture. Chapter Four focuses on the rituals held in these cave dwellings, which are regarded as the indication of the spiritual life of cave dwellers. The cultural significance, social functions, and space and ecological ideologies signified by these rituals are discussed.
This dissertation thoroughly examines the styles and distribution of cave dwellings as well as the life of cave dwellers. It explores the cultural significance of cave dwellings in the western Luliang area from the angle of folklore study.
This dissertation has 90, 000 words and more than 80 pictures, tables and photoes