This book explores how,unlike in the West,the daily religious life of  most   Chinese people spreads without institutional propagation.Based upon more than a decade of field research in rural China,the book demonstrates the decisive role of rites of passage and yearly festival rituals held in every household in shaping people’s religious dispositions.It focuses on the family,the unit most central to Chinese culture and society,and reveals the repertoire embodied in daily life in a world envisioned as comprising both the“yin”world of ancestors,spirits,and ghosts,and the“yang”world of the living.It discusses especially the concept of bai,which refers to both concrete bodily movements that express respect and awe,such as bowing,kneeling,or holding up ritual offerings,and to people’s religious inclinations and dispositions,which indicate that they are aware of a spiritual realm that is separate from yet close to the world of the living.Overall,the book shows that the daily practices of religion are not a separate sphere,but rather belief and ritual integrated into a way of dwelling in a world envisaged as consisting of both the“yin”and the“yang”worlds that regularly communicate with each other.

彭牧，湖北谷城人，生于青海省西宁市。复旦大学文学学士，北京大学民间文学硕士，美国宾夕法尼亚大学（University of Pennsylvania）民俗学博士。1997-2001年任教于北京大学中文系民间文学教研室，现任职于北京师范大学文学院民间文学研究所。中国民俗学会会员、中国俗文学会会员、曾任美国民俗学会会员（Member of the American Folklore Society）、美国宗教学会会员（Member of American Academy of Religion）。

主要研究兴趣：民间信仰与实践、礼仪和节日、民间手工艺、中医与民间医疗、身体民俗、民俗学史。

1.Words and Things:A Theoretical Map

2.Dixia,Difu,and Diyu:the Contour of the Yin World

3.Encountering Death:Funeral Rituals in Practice

4.Bai,offering Incense and Hosting:Communicating with the Yin World

5.Doing Handicraft:Bridging the Yin and Yang

6.Esoteric Knowledge:Imitating Masters

7.Conclusion or Reflection:I Just Could Not Bai

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