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Negotiating Pilgrimage: Kora, Summit Ascent, and Han-Tibetan Fusion at Jizu Mountain
LIU Kaiyuan
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2026.03.009
Dali University, Dali, China
This study examines the interaction and integration of Han Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage practices at Jizu Mountain, a sacred site that embodies the confluence of two distinct cultural logics. Drawing on comparative analysis of symbolic systems and behavioral patterns, it focuses on the tension and synergy between Tibet’s traditional circumambulation (skor ba) and the Han’s summit ascent as pilgrimage modalities. The research reveals how these practitioners negotiate cultural adaptation: While incorporating the Han-style summit pilgrimage, they preserve Tibetan sacred spatial cosmology through the circular metaphor of the overall journey and localized circumambulation rituals. This hybrid Buddhist practice ultimately shaped a composite religious-cultural terrain unique to Jizu Mountain.
Jizu Mountain, pilgrimage, Han-Tibetan cultural fusion, sacred mountain worship, Buddhist practice, cultural adaptation
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