The Art of Laughing at Female Mediums

This paper contributes to research on emotions and Chinese religion by examining the laughter of derision directed at female spirit mediums. These women occupy an ambiguous role in Chinese historical texts. Some accounts depict them as vital intermediaries who communicate with the unseen for the benefit of local communities, while others condemn them as charlatans who undermine social morality. The article analyzes the literary trope of mocking female mediums in three stages: from the Han dynasty, through the late imperial period, and into the Maoist era. Through their derisive laughter at female mediums, Chinese elites crafted narratives about civilization, modernization, and revolution. Yet even as these women became objects of ridicule, their portrayal in elite writings inadvertently reveals their crucial role in local religious life. The power dynamics of laugher offer important insights into the intersections of gender, emotion, and politics in Chinese religious history.