The study of religion in China is complicated by two primary issues. First, many belief systems could be considered either philosophical or religious. For example, some regard Confucianism as a religion, while others regard it as solely a philosophy of life. Secondly, many individuals often simultaneously profess a belief in multiple belief systems. It is possible for someone to claim to be a Buddhist while living life according to Taoist principles and participating in ancestor worship rituals.
Major belief systems that developed within China include ancestor worship, Chinese folk religion, Confucianism, shamanism, and Taoism. Most Chinese have a conception of Heaven and yin and yang. The Chinese have also believed in such practices as astrology, Feng Shui, and geomancy.
Influential religions introduced from abroad include Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.
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2 Taoism 3 Islam 4 Christianity 5 People's Republic of China 6 Related articles |
Buddhism was introduced from India during the Han dynasty and has been very popular among Chinese of all walks of life, admired by commoners, and sponsored by emperors.
Islam was brought into China via the Silk Road in the 7th century.
It is now practised by such minority groups as the Hui, the Uygur, and the Kazakhs.
Christianity was spread by European or Middle-Eastern travellers who came to China in AD 635, as documented by the Nestorian Stone in Xi'an.
In 1289, Franciscan friars initiated mission work in China. This mission collapsed in 1368.
The fist Jesuit attempt to reach China was made in 1552 by Francis Xavier, but he died the same year on the Chinese island of Shangchuan, without having reached the mainland. In 1582, Jesuits once again initiated mission work in China, introducing Western science, mathematics, and astronomy. One of these missionaries was Matteo Ricci.
In the early 18th century, the Chinese Rites controversy, a dispute within the Catholic Church, arose over whether Chinese folk religion rituals and offerings to the emperor constituted idolatry.
During the 1840s, foreign missionaries spread Christianity rapidly through the foreign occupied coastal cities; the Taiping Rebellion was an indirect result. British and American churches (such as the British Methodist Church) continued to send missionaries until they were prevented from doing so following the establishment of the People's Republic of China. The book The Small Woman and film Inn of the Sixth Happiness tell the story of one such missionary, Gladys Aylward.
Since the establishment of the People's Republic, mainland China has been an officially atheist state. However, many Chinese actually continue to practice a wide variety of religions. One source gives about 100 million religious worshippers (less than 10% of the population) in China:
Buddhism
Main article: Buddhism in ChinaTaoism
Main article: TaoismIslam
Christianity
People's Republic of China
However, it should be noted that, because of the PRC government's policies on religion, this estimate of only 100 million worshippers possibly vastly undercounts the actual extent of religious practice in China.
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