The Communist Party of China (CPC) advocates atheism and restricts its members from practicing any religion, while regulating all religious practices within the country. Taoism, however, is deeply intertwined with Chinese culture, history, and philosophy. It influences traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts, feng shui, and festivals, which makes it more culturally acceptable to the state. Still, Taoist temples are monitored, and only those registered with the government are allowed to function legally. The state sometimes uses Taoism as a tool to promote traditional Chinese culture and nationalism, especially in contrast to foreign religions. While Taoism enjoys some cultural prestige, its practice has declined due to decades of political suppression during events like the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), when many temples and scriptures were destroyed. In recent years though, there has been a revival of interest in Taoism, particularly as a cultural and philosophical tradition rather than strictly a religion. Documentarists Yang Yingzi and Xianyu Wencan decided to focus on the concept of Taoism within this setting, and its relation with superstition, by focusing on the lives of a number of priests, and presenting them both within the religion and outside of it.
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The main ‘protagonist’, Li Sanhua, has been a Taoist priest for 25 years. Before that, he worked as a painter, served as a village official, and ran a scrap business. Although he openly acknowledges that his work involves superstitious practices, he still considers himself a materialist and has conflicts with a fellow Taoist, Dai Zhongde. The documentary follows him and his fellow priests as they talk about the religion and its practice today, while connecting it with recent issues, as is Covid and the way the Chinese and US government dealt with the pandemic.
The discussions are heated and quite intriguing, although the fact that a number of them are quite misinformed also becomes apparent. One of the most interesting part comes when the topic of singing to the dead rises, with the documentarians questioning the usefulness of such a practice, and essentially whether the priests believe the dead can actually listen to the chanting.
Apart from this, the film presents a number of rituals the priests take place in, while intertitles give details about what exactly is happening and the purpose of each ritual, in a rather informative approach that works quite well here. The combination does not result in answers but instead poses questions to the viewer, about the coexistence of Taoism with Mao’s teachings, whose presence is smartly included in the film, through the depiction of his portraits in timely occasions, and the actual value of religion nowadays. Furthermore, what becomes apparent through their words, is a certain contradiction regarding the boundaries between superstition and Taoism, as well as superstition and daily life, an issue that actually torments the majority of them.
The editing emerges as one of the best aspects of the documentary, both through the succession of the two aforementioned axes, and the presentation of crucial moments of the lives of the priests, with the ‘whining’ of Dai Zhongde actually adding a sense of humor to the whole thing, an aspect that is actually found throughout the movie. At the same time, it becomes apparent that the directors have gained the trust of their ‘subjects’ as the majority of them seem to be quite open about their lives and way of thinking.
“Taoism and Superstition” may be more interesting to actual practitioners or people living in China, but the questions it poses actually hold a universal value, while the presentation of the rituals of Taoism are definitely intriguing to watch, particularly due to its thoroughness. As such the documentary fulfills the main purposes of the medium, and that is where its value lies
