The Bohai Sea and Mount Penglai: In search of a maritime religiosity in imperial China

Abstract

Apart from the history of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, there are other religious themes that have also been derived from the maritime world that require more of our academic attention. This paper provides a historical overview of a sea-related theological conceptualisation that originated in the Bohai Sea: the maritime and transcultural history of Mount Penglai, a legendary immortal island of Chinese mythology. The history of Penglai is normally treated within a mere Daoist context and is not explored in its theological and philosophical implications in relation to the sea. I will suggest, by contrast, that the history of Penglai offers a unique perspective on Chinese maritime religiosity as it was conceptualised, practiced and imagined by various types of agents and individuals. In its own right, Mount Penglai represents a kind of maritime religiosity that was emanated from various approaches to it being constructed as a mythological space over the longue durée.