The Art of Fate Calculation: Practicing Divination in Taipei, Beijing, and Kaifeng - Ingram Academic
An ethnographic study examining the living practice and calculation of fate in contemporary Taiwan and Mainland China.
This work explores the internal dynamics and transmission of fortune-telling techniques that keep the practice alive outside formal institutional structures. Homola documents actual fortune-casting sessions, analyzing how clients evaluate a master's skill, how seers train, and how mathematical systems structure destiny. By comparing Taiwan and Mainland China, the text reveals how these methods persist across varying political contexts, legal environments, and urban settings.
Set in modern Taiwan and Mainland China, this research focuses on field observations from Taipei, Beijing, and Kaifeng. It contextualizes contemporary urban practices against a background of two millennia of criticism and a century of state condemnation of divination as superstition.
Praise for this book
“Divination has been extremely common and important in Chinese culture since earliest times, but surprisingly little information appears in the Western-language literature. This excellent ethnography goes a long way toward remedying the gap... Most ethnographically exciting in this book are Homola's accounts of fortune-casting sessions in Taipei, Beijing, and Kaifeng, especially her warm and empathetic accounts of…”
“Taken as a whole, The Art of Fate Calculation is a very comprehensive ethnographic work on the practice of divination in contemporary Chinese societies. Its themes are rich, covering all aspects of divination, including history, legality, techniques, clients, institutions, social relations, and the transmission of knowledge.”
“it is a solid monograph on con temporary fortune-telling in Taiwan and China that will serve as a standard reference work in the years to come for anyone wishing to understand on a deeper level what the practice of fortune-telling entails. The book is highly recommended to researchers in the field of divination, while individual chapters provide the interested reader and student with a very reliable overview of…”
📝 Description: The Art of Fate Calculation: Practicing Divination in Taipei, Beijing, and Kaifeng - Ingram Academic
📑 What's inside
- List of Illustrations
- Foreword Michael Lackner
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Conclusion: Trust and Standardization
- Appendix I: Brief History of the Ziwei Doushu Method Appendix II: Ziwei Doushu Schools in Taiwan Appendix III: Correspondence Tables in the Ziwei Doushu Method
- Glossary of Chinese Terms References Index
💎 Expert review
📖 Why choose it
Why this book is worth reading
This book offers a profound window into the lives of individuals who actively shape their destinies through esoteric practices. It is ideal for readers fascinated by the intersection of sociology, anthropology, and the occult. You will gain insight into how people from all walks of life, including officials and homemakers, navigate uncertainty through divination masters. The text explains the rigorous criteria clients use to judge skill and the decentralized nature of this spiritual economy. If you are curious about why fate calculation resists institutionalization despite its pervasiveness, this work provides essential context. It reveals fate not as a fixed point but as a dynamic art form practiced in daily life.
⭐ Reader reviews
Reader rating
Homola delivers a meticulous examination of the client-diviner relationship, offering valuable ethnographic details on skill evaluation and professional pathways. However, this is strictly an academic anthropological study, not a practical guide for learning divination techniques. It will likely disappoint those seeking immediate spiritual advice or simple ritual instructions. The dense focus on societal stigma and decentralization may feel too theoretical for casual readers interested only in the mystical aspects of fortune-telling. It suits scholars of Chinese religion but lacks the narrative flair expected by general esoteric enthusiasts.
❓ Frequently asked questions
📖 Who should read this
If you're fascinated by cultural anthropology, East Asian studies, or the intricate ways belief systems shape societies, this book offers a profound exploration. It's for those eager to understand divination not as a fringe practice, but as a deeply integrated aspect of Chinese and Taiwanese life.
🎯 Key themes and symbolism
Societal Divination Practices
Homola illuminates the widespread adoption of fate calculation across diverse social groups in China and Taiwan. She details who seeks these services, emphasizing that it's not limited to any single demographic but is a deep-seated cultural phenomenon impacting daily decisions and life trajectories for countless individuals, revealing a living tradition in modern contexts.
Mastery and Client Trust
The book explores the nuanced relationship between clients and diviners, examining how trust and perceived skill are established. It investigates the often-informal training and lineage of fortune-tellers, alongside the criteria clients employ to gauge a master's authenticity and efficacy, highlighting the personal and subjective elements involved in seeking such guidance.
Resistance to Standardization
Homola analyzes why fate calculation, despite its ubiquity, has resisted formal institutionalization or a singular, codified system. She attributes this to both the external pressures of being labeled 'superstition' and the inherent, dynamic nature of the practice itself, which thrives on adaptation and diverse methodologies rather than uniform adherence.
📜 Historical context
📚 Glossary
- Fate Calculation
- Diviner/Master
- Uniformization
📔 Questions to reflect on
- Reflect on a time you sought guidance or insight into your own future. How did that experience compare to the cultural practices described in the book?
- Consider the concept of 'fate' versus 'free will' within your own cultural understanding. How might the perspectives presented in this book challenge or affirm your views?
- If divination practices are stigmatized as 'superstition,' why do you think they persist and even flourish across diverse social strata?
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📖 From the series “Asian Anthropologies”
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