In the Land of Tigers and Snakes: Powers and Violence between Humans and Animals in Medieval China

This project explores the roles and images of animals in medieval Chinese religious life, looking into how animals were defined in Chinese religious traditions, how they were written into the Chinese religious literature as spirits, demons, and companions, and how various social groups, such as the medieval state, eminent monks, and lay people, as well as literati and common people, have applied their zoological and ethnographical knowledge about the animals, nature and environment to develop their beliefs and practices in various religious traditions in medieval China.