Three faces of Woman Huang: The spread and change of a narrative among the Han, the Bai, and the Yao

Abstract

Since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the story of Woman Huang (Huangshi nu) has enjoyed popularity among the Han people in Buddhist and sectarian religious groups. Through its later spread to ethnic minorities, this story has appeared in a wide range of genres and versions. Among the Lanten Yao in northern Laos, it is narrated in three forms: ballad (Huangshi nü gu), folktale (The story of Woung Dee Nui), and a component of a ritual manuscript (Kaishan ke). Not originating from the Yao, this story in its ballad version preserves many Buddhist features while only cutting some details (e.g., reciting the Diamond Sutra), probably because Lanten religion is predominantly Daoist. Its folktale version presents a thorough elimination of Buddhist elements, glossing over the entire plot of Woman Huang’s journey through the hells. Meanwhile, this version contains many lively details and formulated structures of storytelling. The tale is also referred to in the Kaishan ritual (lit. opening out the mountain) within a song devoted to Lu Ban, the patron deity of builders. While also downplaying Buddhist characteristics, this version further organically incorporates its original content of the Underworld cosmology into the ritual. This paper conducts a textual analysis of these three versions by comparing them with other Woman Huang stories from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. It presents the readaptation of one single story in different genres and ethnoreligious contexts by highlighting and interpreting its modifications of the plot, religious beliefs, and social implications.