The speed and the scale with which traditional religions in China have been revived and new spiritual movements have emerged in recent decades make it difficult for scholars to stay up-to-date on the religious transformations within Chinese society.
This unique atlas presents a bird’s-eye view of the religious landscape in China today. In more than 150 full-color maps and six different case studies, it maps the officially registered venues of China’s major religions - Buddhism, Christianity (Protestant and Catholic), Daoism, and Islam - at the national, provincial, and county levels. The atlas also outlines the contours of Confucianism, folk religion, and the Mao cult. Further, it describes the main organizations, beliefs, and rituals of China’s main religions, as well as the social and demographic characteristics of their respective believers. Putting multiple religions side by side in their contexts, this atlas deploys the latest qualitative, quantitative and spatial data acquired from censuses, surveys, and fieldwork to offer a definitive overview of religion in contemporary China.
An essential resource for all scholars and students of religion and society in China.
Fenggang Yang, Ph.D. (1997) from the Catholic University of America, is Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University. He is the author of Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule (2012) and Editor-in-Chief of Review of Religion and Chinese Society (Brill). He was the president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (2014-15).
“In the best tradition of the genre, this splendid Atlas of Religion in China reveals patterns—and prompts questions—about a world we have known only incompletely. Scholars will mine its insights for a long time, and anyone with an interest in modern China will find this book invaluable.”
- David Bodenhamer, The Polis Center, IUPUI
“This is the most sophisticated and comprehensive mapping ever of the official statistics for recognized religious institutions in China today. It provides a spatial analysis of religious activity that is many times greater than official statistics suggest.”
- Peter K. Bol, Harvard University
Nowhere has there been such a comprehensive mapping of religions at the national, provincial and county levels in contemporary China. An extremely valuable addition to the literature, with beautiful maps that bring to life the religious landscape in contemporary China. A treasure for the library!"
- Lily Kong, Singapore Management University
"Een atlas staat meestal niet op het lijstje van missiologen, maar dit boek is zeker aan te bevelen (...) Al met al geeft dit mooie boek een indrukwekkend beeld van de diversiteit van de religies en een bijzondere inkijk in de terugkeer van het religieuze leven in China".
- Bas Plaisir, TussenRuimte 2019, 3.
Acknowledgments List of Figures List of Photos List of Maps Abbreviations Introduction
The Three Markets of Religions in China
The Red Market: Legal Religions
Buddhism
Islam
Protestantism
Daoism
Catholicism
The Gray Market: Semi-Legal Religions
Confucianism
Folk Religion
House Churches
Underground Catholic Churches
Mao Cult
The Black Market: Illegal Religions
The Shouters (Huhan pai 呼喊派)
All Scope Church (Quanfanwei jiaohui 全范围教会)
Church of the Almighty God (Quannengshen jiaohui 全能神教会)
Eastern Lightning (Dongfang shandian 东方闪电)
Cold Water Sect (Lengshui jiao 冷水教)
Dami Evangelism Association (Dami xuanjiaohui 达米宣教会)
Disciples Sect (Mentu hui 门徒会)
Narrow Gate in the Wilderness (Kuangye zhaimen 旷野窄门)
Established King (Beili Wang 被立王)
Falun Gong (法轮功)
Guanyin Method (Guanyin famen 观音法门)
Lingling Sect (Lingling jiao 灵灵教)
Lord God Sect (Zhushen jiao 主神教)
New Testament Church (Xinyue jiaohui 新约教会)
Three Ranks of Servants (Sanban puren pai 三班仆人派)
True Buddha Sect (Zhen fo zong 真佛宗)
World Elijah Association (Shijie yiliya fuyin xuanjiaohui 世界以利亚福音宣 教会)
Yiguandao (一贯道)
Provinces
North China 华北地区
[1] Beijing 北京
[2] Tianjin 天津
[3] Hebei 河北
[4] Shanxi 山西
[5] Inner Mongolia 內蒙古