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| Chinese Mythology is replete with images of serpents, sea-creatures, and other monsters; this is one of the Nine Dragons, painted by Chen Rong, an artist from the Song Dynasty, 1244 AD |
Chinese religion has grown under three major influences - Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Through its long history it has acquired new belief systems and developed traditional ones. With regard to religion, Chinese society is often described as pluralistic. The majority of people are Buddhist (between 660 million, 50%, and 1 billion, 80%) and Taoist (400 million, 30%). These figures can overlap, due to the fact that some believers identify themselves as both Buddhist and Taoist. Other religions include: Christianity (between 40 and 54 million, 3-4%), Islam (20 million 1.5%) and a small number of Jews, Hindus, Dongbaist and Bons, and a growing number of new religions, such as Xiantianism and Falung Gong. Because of their emphasis on spirituality, and due to predominantly Buddhistic and Daoistic pantheistic tendencies (a belief that identifies God with nature or universe) and under influence of Chinese folk religion, the religions of China are often classified as philosophies, spiritualities, or ways of life. Chinese folk religion, a thousand year old religion that emphasized the veneration of ancestors, and drawing influence from Chinese mythology, is polytheistic.Some of the gods and godesses of Chinese folk religion and mythology have entered popular culture, and are very well known. One notable example is Zao Shen, or Kitchen God, a domestic deity who brings prosperity to a home and protects it from demons. Once a month he reports to the local deities about the activities of the family he is in charge of. Then there are also the Eight Immortals, popular deities who supposedly live on an enchanted island paradise east of China. They were said to be ordinary humans who, through the practice of Daoism, attained the status of deities. Their voyage across the seas is often portrayed in Chinese art, including opera.
They are as follows:
Dating back to prehistorical times, the homage which the Chinese pay to their ancestors has become a form of worship through the centuries. It includes legendary figures (such as Huangdi, or Yellow Emperor, considered as ancestor of all Chinese people) and historical figures, persons from folklore, and more particularly founders of major religions. Chinese culture, as well as Buddhism and Confucianism, all place great value on respect and piety toward elders and deceased ancestors. They are celebrated most prominently during the two festivals - the Qingming festival and the Double Ninth festival, but also during other ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals.
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| A capitalist-communist monument in China. Photo by mtlp |
Communism has always remained consistent in its renunciation of all religion, and the Chinese communist government is no exception. Religion is considered to be a form of superstition, a remnant of a traditional, regressive way of thinking, and has no place in the world of materialism and science. This is particularly problematic in China, whose majority of people practice some form of religion. Consequently, the Chinese Government has made an effort to improve its strained relations with the major religions and religious minorities, and in 1982 it made amendments to the constitution to allow religious freedom. The rule that only atheists are allowed as members of the Chinese Communist Party, still remains. Religion has had a turbulent history in China. As one of the richest cultures in the world, China has welcomed and adopted various religious systems in the past, as well as having its own indigenous faiths. However, during the 20th century, and especially during the Cultural Revolution period, religion has suffered devastating blows. Monasteries were ransacked, places of worship and temples destroyed, and religious persons either killed or condemned to hard labor. Today, monasteries in mainland China are not so glorious in appearance as they once were, and traditional religion is perhaps stronger in Taiwan and Macau than it is in continental China. After Mao's death, the Chinese Government has loosened its policies on religion, allowing many temples to reopen, and religious centers gained protection and control from the State. Religious communities have found new life and inspiration, and continue to grow at a steady pace. One of the most notorious cases of government suppression of religious liberty is its treatment of Tibetan Buddhists. After the iconoclastic leveling of the Cultural Revolution, the Dalai Lama had to escape to India in 1959. The Tibetan rebellion was quenched by Chinese soldiers, and the theocratic government, which ruled Tibet until then, was abolished. Tibetan monasteries have reopened in some places, and the "Tibetan cause" and its religion have gained international support, and continue to grow.
