Religion in Contemporary China: Revitalization and Innovation

by Chau; Adam Yuet

• ISBN13: 9780415459341
• ISBN10: 0415459346
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-02-18
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Before the modernist transformations of the twentieth century, China had one of the richest and most diverse religious cultures in the world. The radical anti-traditionalist policies of both the Republican and Communist regimes as well as other socio-historical factors posed formidable challenges to China#xE2;#xAC;"s religious traditions but, this book argues, these conditions also presented new opportunities for re-generation and innovation. It shows that economic reforms and the concurrent relaxation of religious policies have provided fertile ground for the revitalization of a wide array of religious practices, including divination, ancestor worship, temple festivals, spirit mediumism, churchgoing, funeral rites, exorcism, pilgrimages, sectarianism, sutra chanting, and the printing and distribution of morality books. Equally new forms of religious practices have emerged such as lay Buddhist preachers, "Maoist shamans", and a range of qigongsects/schools. Written by an international, interdisciplinary team of experts who have all conducted in-depth fieldwork research in China, this book provides a wide-ranging survey of contemporary religious practices in China. It examines the different processes and mechanisms of religious revivals and innovations, and, more broadly, relates the Chinese example of religious revitalization to larger issues of social and cultural continuity and change.

Table of Contents

Introduction Adam Yuet Chau 1. Buddhism in the Reform Era: A Secularized Revival? JI Zhe 2. Giving Back: Morality Texts and the Re-Growth of Lay Buddhism Garesh Fisher 3. The Emerging Spirit-Medium Cults in Sishui Village, Hebei Der-ruey Yang 4. Daoist Temple Networks and Monks' Wandering About Adeline Herrou 5. Temples as Enterprises Selina Chan and Graeme Lang 6. Building Temples across the Border: The Story of a Female Spirit Medium and Her Devotees Tik-sang Liu 7. Intertwined Fortunes: Music-Making and Ritual Life in North China Stephen Jones 8. Rationalizing Re-Enchantment: Charisma, Affiliation and Organization in the Post-Mao Qigong Movement David Palmer 9. Global Modernity, Local Community, and Spiritual Power: Innovation and Tradition in the Catholic Church in Shanxi since 1979 Henrietta Harrison 10. Of Stones and Fonts: The Art and Politics of Inscribing and Re-inscribing a Temple Adam Yuet Chau Conclusion