安遠是福建省寧化縣最北的一個鄉，與建寧縣及江西省相臨。這裡居住著來自江西、福建、廣東的許多姓氏，俗稱「百家姓」。此地的居民「農 商各占一半」的謀生方式從明朝一直沿襲到今天。 安遠鄉政府與墟市所在地稱為安遠村。二十世紀五十年代以前，安遠村每年都要舉行幾場規模較大的廟會，這些廟會包括五月十三日因關帝生日而舉行的廟會、七月十五日與九月二十九日的張公廟會等。本文旨在通過這些廟會分析安遠地方社會，認為從這些廟會可反映出安遠這個標準墟市所在地的社會特徵：流動人口較多，貨物交易頻繁；在社會結構上，少強宗大族，多小姓弱房；在民眾的生計方式上，以農業與商業為主;在地方事務中，地緣與業緣因素比血緣因素的作用更大；此外還反映出民國時國家政構對鄉村的滲透方式。

This paper describes different temple fairs held during the early twentieth century in the market town of Anyuan, located in Ninghua County (western Fujian). The author’s research on this town’s temple fairs shows that such events shed light on its communal life. For example, Anyuan’s main modes of livelihood were trade and agriculture, and there was also a floating population that frequently engaged in commercial activities. In terms of social structure, there were only a few strong lineages but many weak surname groups. As a result, native place and occupational networks of power appear to have been more important than blood ties. Researching temple fairs also allows us to better understand the relationship between state and society in modern China, as the Nationalist government made concerted efforts to utilize these activities as a means of extending its power into local communities