Preteaching: Chinese Religions Origins to the Present

Chinese Civilization Chinese civilization began c BCE between the Yangtze ( Chang Jiang ) and the Yellow (Huang He) River Valley Zhou Dynasty BCE)

The Spring and Autumn Period, 1/2 Civil war spread across China from 771 to 476 BCE These centuries in Chinese history are called “The Spring and Autumn Period”

The Spring and Autumn Period, 2/2 Chinese civilization was threatened - the government stopped working -cities were destroyed - many thousands of Chinese were killed - bandits roamed the countryside - nothing seemed safe or certain

Spring and Autumn Period In this environment, several philosophies/ religions emerged. Each wanted to find the TAO, or the “WAY,” to fix China! Some of the Hundred Schools of Thought Confucianism Taoism Legalism Moism

Confucius Kung-fu Tzu was a government clerk around 500 BC. Kung-fu Tzu wandered across China teaching his own version of the Tao. After his death, his students collected his sayings and teachings in a book called “The Analects”

Hierarchy Confucius called for order, control (of the self and others), hierarchy. In other words: know your place, do your duty!

Spread of Confucianism The Chinese Emperors loved Confucianism! Officials were expected to be trained in Confucianism Confucians founded schools across East Asia.

Buddhism in China Buddhism had arrived in China (from India) by 100 CE By 600 CE, Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism was a major Chinese religion Chinese Buddhists spread Buddhism to Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Today, 500M Chinese identify as Buddhists. 1.7B people are Buddhists, worldwide.

Communism and Religion Communism is suspicious of organized religion, which it believes has been a tool to oppress people in history. Communist countries are officially atheist.

Religions in China under the Communist Party Under the Communist party in China, religions have undergone periods of repression. During the Cultural Revolution (1966/7) thousands of religious sites were destroyed. Since the 1970s, religions have been experiencing a revival in China. In recent years, this has been speeding up. Officially, the government of China recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestant and Catholic Christianity. All are closely overseen by the Government.