Exploring Daoist-Practicing Families in the Northern Dynasties Through Family-Sponsored Statues

Through the collection and analysis of family-sponsored statue remains from Shaanxi and surrounding regions, this study explores the practice of Daoism within local communities during the Northern Dynasties, where religious activities—such as the erection of statues—were organized around family units. Small families and households within three generations constituted the predominant organizational model of Daoist practice at the time. The primary participants were commoners, though local prominent clans also occasionally participated. While clan-sponsored statues were fewer in number, they played a significant role in local society by mobilizing statue projects and disseminating religious teachings. Religious beliefs centered on Daoism while also incorporating Buddhist elements, revealing a strong tendency toward Daoist–Buddhist interaction. This phenomenon may be attributed to the contemporary social climate that venerated both traditions, the functional similarities between Daoism and Buddhism, and the populace’s open attitude toward religious plurality. Research on these family-sponsored statue remains provides valuable materials and new perspectives for examining Daoist-practicing families of the Northern Dynasties—groups that are scarcely documented in historical texts and Daoist canons—particularly regarding their social stratification, belief structures, and lived religious practices.