Publisher's Synopsis
In the 1970s it was commonly asserted that Chinese religion, at least as it had existed during Qing dynasty times, had ceased to existal together. But something rather curious occurred between the 1970s to the late 1990s and the present. Chinais home to over 20million Muslims, and the number of mosques, including women only mosques, has been rapidly growing. Chinais also predicted to become the worlds largest Christian nation with in ten years. Tibetan Buddhism, once a minor religion, now a day attracts a large number of followers among the wealthy and educated Chinese middle class. Periodically there is another crack down on religious activity, but it would certainly appear that religion in China today, which is clearly derivative of traditional Chinese religion, with certain modern additions, has come back within creasing force. For the most part, nowadays the Chinese people have relative autonomy to practice any of the officially approved religions, as long as that does not pose a challenge to the established social order or the political status quo. An increasing number of people are availing themselves to the varied opportunities for religious engagement and expression. On the whole, there is a discernible trend towards greater religious participation, although China still comes across as being much more secular when compared to other countries with high levels of religious belief and affiliation, such as the US or India. On the other hand, there is probably more religious participation in China than in much of Europe. Religion in Contemporary China: Revitalization and Innovation provides wide-ranging studies of contemporary religious practices in China. It examines the different processes and me czarisms 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. Along with Chinas astonishing economic grow thin recent years, Chinese religions have enjoyed a remarkable renaissance. Buddhist, Daoist, and popular religious temples have flourished. It focuses on the fact or sunderly ingtheon-going popularity of templecults, local deities, temple festivals, and the privatisation of popular beliefs -- which are all deeply rooted in Chinese rural life. In addition, it tries to offer some new perspectives on the study of urban religion in contemporary China.
