The Hierarchical Structure of Religious Spaces: A Case Study of Erxian Temples in the Song-Yuan Period

The belief of Erxian (two immortals) is one of the typical folk religions in North China during the Song-Yuan Period. Most Erxian Temples constructed during this era still stand today in Changzhi 长治 and Jincheng 晋城 Cities, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, offering researchers a wealth of academic material. The temples and the spaces they created are clues to understand how local villagers continue their daily life during the turmoil after the Northern Song Dynasty, and can help us find the way how folk religions were organized in a specific area. This article, combining architectural remains and inscriptions, explores the Erxian temples built during the Song-Yuan period in southeast Shanxi from a spatial perspective. It argues that these temples were not constructed independently but were interconnected, forming a hierarchical structure based on factors such as size, the scale of the main halls, geographical influence, and function. They serve as manifestations of social life in Northern China during the Song-Yuan Period. This structural model resonates with the "ritual circle theory" in anthropological studies, facilitating a deeper understanding of the local rural societies of Northern China during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties.