Cultural preservationist, educationist, and human rights advocate Jiaming Li announces the release of
The Lost Lineage of Manchu Shamanism: The Spirit Between Worlds, a landmark work documenting one of humanity’s most ancient and endangered spiritual traditions.
https://youtu.be/7y6j54WeHcg?si=1tCPX8cSgoxE2YMo
(Jenna Barnett reviews Manchu Shamanism)
Rooted in centuries of oral history, ethnographic research, and fieldwork across northeastern China, The Lost Lineage of Manchu Shamanism is the first distinctive educational volume dedicated to Manchu Shamanism, a cosmology once practiced by the Manchu people long before their rise to power during the Qing Dynasty. The book records rituals, cosmology, healing practices, and ancestral knowledge that survived only through secrecy following imperial assimilation, colonial disruption, and state-led suppression.
For thousands of years, Manchu Shamanism shaped a worldview in which no boundary existed between humanity and nature. Mountains, rivers, animals, ancestors, and wind were understood as sentient participants in a shared spiritual ecology. Shamans served not as mystics removed from society, but as healers, mediators, and custodians of balance between the visible and invisible worlds.
“This book is not about grand narrative,” said Li. “It is about preservation, vivid and substantial. Cultural extinction is not only the loss of tradition — it is the loss of knowledge, a part of human civilization and diversity, and a part of us.”
The volume traces Manchu Shamanism from its origins among Tungusic peoples to its institutionalization under the Qing court, followed by deliberate suppression during the twentieth century. Through detailed chapters on ritual practice, trance, transmission, and survival, Li documents how the tradition endured quietly — carried through lullabies, whispered prayers, and hidden family altars.
Beyond historical record, the book places Manchu Shamanism in modern context, drawing connections to psychology, ecology, indigenous science, and cultural resilience. It argues that ancient spiritual systems are not incompatible with modern thought, but often anticipate contemporary insights into interconnectedness, trauma, and environmental balance.
As an educationist who has endured persecution and harassments for his advocacy of cultural and religious freedom, Li approaches the subject with both scholarly rigor and lprotection urgency. The book also serves as a broader call to honor indigenous knowledge systems worldwide — especially those dismissed or erased under the guise of “modernization.”
The Lost Lineage of Manchu Shamanism: The Spirit Between Worlds is published by KDP Independent Publishing and marks Volume I of an ongoing series dedicated to safeguarding endangered spiritual lineages before they disappear entirely.
About the Author
Jiaming Li is an educationist, religion scholar, and human rights defender whose work bridges spirituality, cultural preservation, and social justice. He has spent over two decades advocating for oppressed communities and protecting endangered cultural traditions. After enduring abuse, stigmatization, torture, and exile, Li continues his work internationally, focusing on indigenous spirituality, freedom of belief, and cultural survival.
Book Information
Title: The Lost Lineage of Manchu Shamanism: The Spirit Between Worlds Author: Jiaming Li
Publisher: KDP Independent Publishing Copyright: © 2025 Jiaming Li
Availability: Amazon (KDP) https://a.co/d/h45r0wD
