| Sumario: | The large-scale development of the Jiangnan ... region began during the late Tang and Five Dynasties, including in the Wangjiangjing ... District of northern Zhejiang. As migration and economic growth proceeded apace, Buddhism and Daoism became increasingly popular in Wangjiangjing, with some families operating Buddhist and Daoist temples as ancestral halls while also reducing their tax burden. At that time, many different types of Buddhist and Daoist sacred sites were scattered throughout the area. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, silk production and trade were thriving, with Wangjiangjing becoming one of Jiangnan's economic centers. As a result, temple cults tended to be concentrated in market towns with high rates of commercial growth. At the same time, however, Buddhism's and Daoism's links to local families weakened over time, yet some Buddhist temples were able to preserve thei r own traditions. Af ter the Taiping War, Wangjiangjing suffered marked decline, with the western market towns in particular degenerating into countryside, changes that also impacted local beliefs. For example, the ravages of war devastated local demographic structures, which in turn disrupted the foundations of some temple cults. When viewed in this light, the rise of festivals known as Wangchuanhui ... along the eastern bank of the Grand Canal seems particularly striking.
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