Conversion Rituals of Cantonese Chinese in Ho Chi Minh City Today

HO CHI MINH CITY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

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TRAN HANH MINH PHUONG

CONVERSION CEREMONY OF CHINESE CANTONES IN HO CHI MINH CITY

CURRENTLY

DOCTORAL THESIS IN HISTORY

HO CHI MINH CITY – 2013

HO CHI MINH CITY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

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TRAN HANH MINH PHUONG

CONVERSION CEREMONY OF CHINESE CANTONES IN HO CHI MINH CITY

CURRENTLY

Major: Ethnology Code: 62.22.70.01

DOCTORAL THESIS IN HISTORY

SCIENCE GUIDE

1. Assoc.Prof.Dr. NGUYEN VAN TIEP

2. Assoc.Prof.Dr. TRAN HONG LIEN

HO CHI MINH CITY - 2013

Commitment

I hereby declare that this is my own research work under the guidance of Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Tiep and Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Hong Lien. The data and documents presented in the thesis are honest, ensuring objectivity and scientificity. The reference documents have clear origins.

Thanks

To complete this thesis I received a lot of help from teachers, colleagues, friends and relatives.

First of all, I sincerely thank the enthusiastic guidance of two teachers: Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Tiep and Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Hong Lien. And I also received a lot of help from Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Huu Quang, Master Do Hong Quan in quantitative research.

I sincerely thank the former staff of the Ho Chi Minh City Chinese Affairs Department: Dao Nhieu Linh (former Head of the Chinese Affairs Department), Khuu Thien Thanh, Tran Chi Vi, Bang Chan Thanh, Nham Thi Dung, MSc. Van Trung Hieu, and Tran Chi Minh who helped me a lot in conducting field research in the area.

The thesis would not have been completed without enthusiastic information providers such as Venerable Thich Duy Tran, the alumni association of Mach Kiem Hung school: Luong Tai, Ha Kien Dan, Huynh Cau, and 140 Cantonese Chinese in the research area of the thesis.

I would like to sincerely thank two MSc. Luu Hong Son and Nguyen Huu Loc for finding and translating the Chinese documents for me. I would also like to thank Nguyen Thanh Loi for reading and correcting my spelling and typing errors to get the final printed version perfect.

Furthermore, without the attention and facilitation of the Board of Directors and the Dean of the Faculty of History, Thu Dau Mot University, I would not have been able to complete my thesis.

And for this thesis to be defended, I would like to send my gratitude to the Board of Directors, Faculty of Anthropology, Graduate School, University of Social Sciences and Humanities for training and organizing for me to defend my thesis.

Finally, I cannot forget my mother and husband who were always willing to share everything so that I could complete this thesis.

INDEX

Introduction 1

1. Reason – Purpose of research 1

2. Research object and scope 3

3. Scientific and practical significance 3

4. Research questions and research hypotheses 5

5. Research approach and methods 6

6. Contribution of the thesis 9

7. Analytical framework ................................................................................. 10.14

8. Thesis layout 10

9. Difficulties and advantages 12

Chapter 1

THEORETICAL PREMISES AND OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH SITUATION

1.1. Related concepts 15

Ritual 15

Rite of Passage 16

Social Network 18

Social Structure 19

Cultural adaptation 19

Icon 20

Cantonese Chinese 20

1.2. Overview of research status of topic 21

1.3. Theoretical approaches of the thesis 37

1.3.1. Theory of Rites of Passage 37

1.3.2. Functional theoretical approach 44

1.3.3. Theoretical approach to symbolic interaction and symbols in ritual

................................................................ ................................................................ ............. 45

1.4. Overview of the Cantonese Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City 50

1.4.1. Settlement process, residential area and population distribution 50

1.4.2. Some features of community 52

Summary of chapter 1 57

Chapter 2

CHINESE CONVERSION RITES OF THE CANADIAN PEOPLE: AN ETHNOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION

2.1. Full month ceremony 60

2.2. Opening ceremony 66

2.3. Wedding 69

2.4. 83rd Birthday Celebration

2.5. Funeral 86

Chapter 2 Summary 99

Chapter 3

FUNCTION OF RITUAL TRANSITION

3.1. Psychological Functions 101

3.1.1. Ritual to support the recipient 101

3.1.2. Rituals with the meaning of “defense” and “making an impression” 106

3.2. Social functions 108

3.2.1. Ritual creates a context for recognizing personal transformation 108

3.2.2. Rituals that create community norms 111

3.2.3. Rituals reflect the nature of the family and the social structure of the community

..................................................................................................................... 117 3.3. Cultural-educational functions.......................................................................... 122

3.3.1. Rituals to convey and reinforce community culture 122

3.3.2. Contributing to human education 139

Chapter 3 Summary 142

Chapter 4

FACTORS AFFECTING CONVERSION RITUALS AND CHANGES IN CONVERSION RITUALS TODAY

4.1. Factors affecting the conversion ritual 144

4.1.1 Gender, age, social network and economic conditions 144

4.1.2. Beliefs - Religion 150

4.1.3. Cultural adaptation 180

4.2. Changes in the rite of passage 183

4.2.1. Sacredness in rituals 184

4.2.2. The conversion of the recipient 186