1. Spaces: sacred, ritualized, and everyday landscapes
2. Places: nine troupes in their local settings
3. Meanings: iconography and mythology
4. Rituals: the making of divine warriors
5. Choreography: cosmic variations
6. History I: from the five emperors of Fuzhou to the five school under Japanese rule (1646-1947)
7. History II: a new market for dancers and self-mortifiers under the Guomindang (1947-87)
8. Conclusions: festival performers and their changing audience.