Orthoprax Performance: Local Belief-Folklorism Practice in the Case of Zoucheng’s Mencius Worship

The contemporary Mencius Shidian Ritual (shidian li, 释奠礼) in Zoucheng City is a recognized Shandong Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), mainly manifested through the Annual Commemorative Ceremony for the Mother of Mencius and Mencius (jinian mengmu mengzi dadian, 纪念孟母孟子大典). Drawing on participant observation and interviews conducted in Zoucheng area between 2023 and 2025, this research argues that the current ICH practice exemplify contemporary Belief-Folklorism (xinsu zhuyi, 信俗主义). Within this framework, the local pursuit of embodied specialization is constructed through the orthoprax performance for the construction of localism. Specifically, the construction of local heritage memory serves as the organic institutional core of Belief-Folklorism, consisting of two primary mechanisms: the reproduction of historical evidence and ritual performance.