Book Talk on The Presence of Peach Spring: Daoism, Ritual, and Locality
Author/Speaker: Mark R. E. Meulenbeld, Associate Professor, School of Chinese, The University of Hong Kong
To join the webinar, register here.
About the book: The Presence of Peach Spring radically breaks with conventional interpretations of medieval luminary Tao Qian’s famous “Record of Peach Blossom Spring” by connecting the tale to its stated geographical location in northern Hunan Province (PRC) and focusing on the Daoist lore that surrounds it.
Drawing on more than two decades of fieldwork, Mark R. E. Meulenbeld uncovers the presence of Peach Spring as a site with a history of more than fifteen hundred years, locally embedded within a complex network of ritual referents that define the landscape as inherently sacred. Rather than a primarily textual analysis, Meulenbeld offers a more historically grounded and environmentally situated interpretation that engages with the religious manifestations of Peach Spring: on domestic altars, through spirit-mediums, at Daoist institutions, and, ultimately, as a source of transcendence. Meulenbeld shows that the category of the sacred offers a crucial framework for understanding traditional texts, even if they do not immediately seem to belong to any religious sphere. When read in the context of its native region, the tale of Peach Spring affords readers access to a sacred site, sacred objects, and the enduring traditions of Daoist ritual that continue to maintain its presence within a sacred ecology.
Organized by the Harvard University Asia Center
Book talk registrants can purchase the book at a 30% discount for a limited time at https://www.hup.harvard.edu/. Please use code ASI30 at checkout to receive the discount—the offer is valid through mid-December 2026.
For questions, please contact Tenzin Ngodup (tngodup@fas.harvard.edu).