‘로컬서사’로서의 增城 何仙姑 이야기와 才女 이미지의 구축 — 廣東 지역 문헌을 중심으로

Abstract

This study examines how the culture of cai nü (才女, talented women) was utilized as a means of legitimizing regional female deities in the process of Lingnan (嶺南), once regarded as “beyond the boundaries of the human world,” being reconfigured as part of Central Plains culture during the late imperial period. Among the many female deities of Guangdong, this study focuses on the narratives and images associated with He Xiangu (何仙姑) of Zengcheng (增城). In the legend that emerged in the early Tang dynasty, He Xiangu attained immortality by consuming powdered mica. In early narratives, she pursued self-cultivation as an immortal, rejecting marriage and remaining largely detached from social or national concerns. This reflects, to some extent, the prevailing gender order in premodern Guangdong. However, over time, her narrative increasingly grapples with the tension between the imperial standard of ideal womanhood and the region’s distinct gender norms. From the early Ming dynasty, local elites began revising the He Xiangu narrative, reconstructing her as a filial daughter and even a cai nü, while mystical elements and themes of marriage rejection were gradually downplayed. By the late Ming period, He Xiangu had transformed into a cai nü who safeguarded the region and provided relief to the people. She was reconfigured as an “officially recognized talented woman” who embodied the values of the state and community through both literary knowledge and supernatural abilities.