HORRAY!

My dissertation is handed in!!!! I feel a huge sense of achievement and a bit euphoric. I also feel at a bit of a loss for what to do with myself between now and 6 when meeting folks for dinner. Anyone free?

I've also already applied for one job today (library assistant in the archology library at UCL, thanks to Cecile)

This journal shall now return to its previous incarnation of book reviews, 中国日记 and tales of too much drunken excess.

Thank you all for your patience over the millions of dissertation posts.

And HORRAY!!!!!

And today's Chinese idiom seems very appropriate!
今朝有酒今朝醉

Women Taoist Immortals of the Tang Dynasty:

Women Taoist Immortals of the Tang Dynasty:
Hagiography as an insight into religious life and the quest for immortality


Abstract
“La dynastie des Tang, en particulier le VIIIe siècle, marque l’apogée du taoïsme féminin.” Despeux 1986: 55
Women Taoists of the Tang enjoyed greater prestige and closer equality with priests than at any other time. Hagiography can be used to show that women’s religious practices mirrored those of men and reflect the beliefs and practices of Tang Taoism. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the religious lives of Taoist women during the Tang dynasty. To this end I will examine the hagiographical writings of Du Guangting (850-933 ), in particular his biographies of women Taoists from the Tang dynasty. I will examine the religious roles of these women in the context of the Tang dynasty and Tang Taoist thought.
I will first look at what made the Tang unique, what specific issues were important to Taoism at this time, and the history of women in Taoism. Chapter two will look at the hagiographies themselves and attempt to analyse the women's religious practices and relate this to Taoist teaching during the Tang. In particular I will look for the unity of Taoist teachings during this time, examples for inclusion of Celestial Master practices and a hierarchy of doctrines. I will examine the role of marriage as it relates to Taoist women, and look at how increasing political sponsorship of Taoism can be seen in these hagiographies. I will also address the issue of whether or not these women should be included as part of the religious mainstream. Chapter three will focus on the issue of immortality and how it was achieved in these hagiographies. It will examine how these practices fit with Tang Taoist theories and how they differed from earlier views. Chapter four will compare the hagiography with other biographical sources, looking at examples of Taoist women outside of hagiographies to see what differences are presented therein. The conclusion will address how these hagiographies fit with our images of Tang Taoism and what can be learned from their study.


Just so none of you thought I'd been making it up!