Search results
Forms of religion in China throughout history have included animism during the Xia dynasty, which evolved into the state religion of the Shang and Zhou.Alongside an ever-present undercurrent of Chinese folk religion, highly literary, systematised currents related to Taoism and Confucianism emerged during the Spring and Autumn period.
Benzhuism ( 本主教 Běnzhǔjiào, "religion of the patrons") is the indigenous religion of the Bai people, an ethnic group of Yunnan. It consists in the worship of the ngel zex, Bai word for "patrons" or "source lords", rendered as benzhu ( 本主) in Chinese. They are local gods and deified ancestors of the Bai nation.
People also ask
How did ancient China become a religion?
What is the official religion of China?
When did Chinese religion start?
How did religion affect China's culture?
- History of Religion in China
- State Atheism and Religious Policies in China
- Confucianism
- Buddhism
- Christianity
- Islam
- Folk Religion
- Other Religions in China
- Sources
China’s first religions were ancient forms of animism and shamanism. As the centuries progressed, religion adopted more complex systems of belief and practice. Notably, the Zhou dynasty, which predates the Warring States period in China, saw the manifestation of the Mandate of Heaven, the philosophical belief that legitimized the power of the rulin...
According to recent demographic reports, 52% of Chinese people are religiously unaffiliated, highlighting the official religion of China, atheism. However, there are five state-sanctioned religious affiliations under which all other religious organizations must register. These five religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Isl...
Though not formally recognized as a religion by the Chinese government, Confucianism has had an undeniable impact on Chinese history and culture since its conception by the Chinese philosopher Confucius around 479 BC. The primary goal of Confucianismis to achieve social harmony through the strict observance of rituals and deference to social hierar...
Buddhism is the largest religious organization in China, though only about 18.2% of the population identifies as Buddhist. Buddhism in China is largely of the Mahayana school, though there are minority groups of Theravada Buddhists, mostly concentrated in the southern parts of the country. There are two significant sub-organizations of Mahayana Bud...
European Jesuits are considered to be the first Christians to preach in China, arriving during the 16th century and taking up council with the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. However, some sources indicate groups of Chinese Christians dating back to the 7th century. Today, about 5.1% of the population identifies as Christian, though this number is lik...
About 1.8% of Chinese people identify as Muslim. The majority of Muslims in China are Sunni, and most are ethnic minorities. Uighurand Hui Muslims are the largest Muslim ethnic minorities, but there are also significant numbers of Kazakh Muslims. Muslims in China face strong persecution and religious discrimination as a result of what the Chinese g...
Approximately 21.9% of Chinese people identify as followers of folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion. Like other religious statistics, this number is likely to be understated, as many Chinese people view traditional practices to be cultural rather than religious. Most followers of folk religion are ethnically Han Chinese. Though fol...
Only about 1% of Chinese people identify as another religion, but this number is difficult to determine considering the legal status of religions in China. These other religions include Falun Gong, Hinduism, Judaism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, and a handful of indigenous faiths. Notably, Falun Gong—a spiritual practice associated with Buddhism and Tao...
Albert, Eleanor. “The State of Religion in China.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 2018.Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: China. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2019.Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook: China. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2019.Johnson, Ian. The Souls of China: the Return of Religion after Mao. Vintage Books, 2018.- Mckenzie Perkins
Oct 19, 2023 · Despite the differences and occasional contradictions between the three traditions, the ancient Chinese society held each of these philosophies in high importance and incorporated the different teachings into multiple areas of life. Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism were the three main philosophies and religions of ancient China, which have ...
Apr 21, 2016 · Religious practices in ancient China go back over 7,000 years. Long before the philosophical and spiritual teachings of Confucius and Lao-Tzu developed or before the teachings of the Buddha came to China, the people worshipped personifications of nature and then of concepts like "wealth" or "fortune" which developed into a religion.
- Emily Mark
This Special Issue will move forward to push new thinking about the history of religions in China, and their rise, fall, and return. China is a multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic nation. We seek contributions that could bridge dialogues among scholars from various national, ethnical, gender, linguistic, and religious backgrounds.
China - Religion, Social Structure: The inhabitants of Neolithic China were, by the 5th millennium if not earlier, remarkably assiduous in the attention they paid to the disposition and commemoration of their dead. There was a consistency of orientation and posture, with the dead of the northwest given a westerly orientation and those of the east an easterly one. The dead were segregated ...
