**7. Conclusions**

The manuscript of the *Precious Scroll of the Blood Pond* by Li Desheng demonstrates the use of an old narrative text in the modern practice of folk storytelling for ritual purposes. While not typical of the practice of funerary "telling scriptures" in Changshu, this manuscript presumably represents one of its local variants; it embodies combination of a vernacular narrative of precious scroll devoted to the Mulian story and a ritual text on the destruction of the Blood Pond (Bowl). Though apparently not reflecting the ritual action, this variant of precious scroll directly refers to this popular ritual of the woman's salvation. This text was apparently adapted from the famous text of the *Precious Scroll of Three Rebirths*, which was transmitted in southern Jiangsu in the form of printed editions and manuscripts since the end of the nineteenth century. In its own turn, the printed recension of the late nineteenth century must have been rooted in the storytelling and ritual practices of the Jiangnan (Lower Yangtze Valley) region.

The manuscript by Li Desheng represents survival of the old Buddhist literary subject in the modern ritual environment of southern Jiangsu. While originating in the ancient narratives (basically starting with the "transformation texts" of the Tang period), this subject still attracts the attention of local believers, as it propagates the Buddhist form of the filial piety concept, so important in traditional China. Thus, it is especially appropriate for the funerary and memorial days' services for the salvation of mothers' souls—an important element of local ritual culture in Changshu. The combination of ritual meaning (escape from the Blood Pond hell) with the didactic and entertaining elements of storytelling in the vernacular language forms the unique feature of this type of folk practice.

The manuscript by Li Desheng contains additional information on the use of the *Precious Scroll of Mulian* (in its southern variant of the *Precious Scroll of Three Rebirths*) and the area of its transmission. It demonstrates that the Mulian story, adapted from the text of precious scroll edited and printed in the cities of Jiangnan at the end of the nineteenth – early twentieth centuries, has been used for ritual assemblies centered at the "breaking of the Blood Pond" not only in Jingjiang, but also in Changshu (and more broadly, in the Suzhou area in the past). This gives one a new perspective of evaluation of the "telling scriptures" tradition in Jingjiang that presumably was related to the culture of the Jiangnan area. Some common points in the subjects and ritual background of precious scrolls in these areas contributes to the study of connections between telling scriptures (scroll recitation) practices in the territory in between Suzhou, Changshu, and Jingjiang. The reconstruction of exact history of transmission and adaptation of these texts (if even possible, given the paucity of credible historical data now) still awaits further research.

**Funding:** This research was assisted by grants from the State Social Sciences Foundation of China: "Survey and research on Chinese precious scrolls preserved abroad" 海 外 藏 中 國 寶 卷 整 理 與 研 究 (17ZDA266) and "Survey and Cross-Disciplinary Research on Folk Beliefs Related Arts of the Taihu Lake Region" 太 湖 流 域 民 間 信 仰 類 文 藝 資 源 的 調 查 和 跨 學 科 研 究 (17ZDA167).

**Acknowledgments:** The author expresses his gratitude to Yu Yongliang, Yu Dingjun, Huang Zhiheng and Dou Heng for providing materials and assistance during fieldtrips.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
