Note: This is a painting produced in the last fifty years by an artist who is presumably still alive. I do not have copyright in any way over this artist’s work. I’m reproducing it here because (a) these images are of ethnographic interest, (b) I’d hope that shining more light on contemporary mural and scroll painters will ultimately be good for their trade, and (c) frankly, these people seem unlikely to sue me. To that last point: It’s possible to commission these scrolls very easily in the villages around Wutai County. If you’re interested, email me and I’d be happy to give you the contact information of Bian Changgen or several other artists in this area.
Structure Type: Grandfathers’ House pantheon scrolls 爺爺家百神卷軸畫, to be set in family shrines.
Location: Dongye Town, Wutai County, Shanxi Province 山西省五台縣東冶鎮.
Period: 2010s. Bian Changgen runs an active studio.
Artist: Bian Changgen 邊長根, locally known as Second Chang 二長. Bian Changgen learned the trade from his father. He is now almost totally deaf, and so although his pantheon business seems to be flourishing, it is mostly managed by his elder sister.
Mural Contents: Grandfathers’ Houses 爺爺家 are a type of pantheon scroll produced in the area of Five-Peak Mountain (Wutai Shan 五台山) in Shanxi. Each scroll is different and personalized. Usually, the gods themselves speak through a medium 神娘娘 to produce a list of a given person’s guardian deities, which is then painted by local artisans and consecrated. These scrolls are kept in family shrine-boxes and sacrificed to on holidays or other important occasions. Other such scrolls can be dedicated to single deities or deity-groups, and hung in shrine rooms for worship.
Included in the photographs here are images of Bian Changgen’s studio. On the desk is one of the “yellow paper list of the gods” 黃紙神譜. These papers are written based on the seance conducted by the medium; the list forms a scheme for the pantheon, and afterwards the paper will be tossed into the fire to be sent to the gods during the consecration ceremony. I’ve also included photos of a pantheon by Bian Changgen in the nearby house of medium Zhang Xian’e 張先娥. As do many homes in this area, she has one shrine for the “House of the Immortals” 仙家 and one for the “House of the Buddhas” 佛家.
Other Notes: As stated above, I don’t have copyright on any of this. I’ve put them up here (a) for ethnographic interest, but (b) because Bian Changgen makes these things for money, and you can order them from him. A large Grandfathers’ House costs ~200 to 400 RMB, depending on the number of figures. If you’re interested, write to me and I’ll try to put you in touch with them.
Full Gallery
