{"title":"Negotiating the Christian Past in China: Memory and Missions in Contemporary Xiamen, written by Jifeng Liu","authors":"Xiaobo Yuan","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340022","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141356834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Christian Activism in the Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Movement: A History from 1984 to 2019","authors":"Tsz-him Lai","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340021","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Churches in Hong Kong have served as contractors to the state since its British colonization. To secure their political and social privileges, these churches have often been fashioned into apologists for the state. This mentality was not widely challenged until the 1980s. Since the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, some Hong Kong church leaders, theologians, and laypeople have started to articulate a democratic vision for civil society. This paper employs the notion of “religious activism” as an analytical framework to examine the role of Hong Kong Christianity in the pro-democracy movement. The influential voices and actions of Christians in 1984, 1989, 2003, 2014, and 2019 are chronologically summarized. Each political event triggered divergent reflections on the political participation of Christians. This paper offers an analysis of genealogical narratives of Christian activism and offers a prediction on the future of this political participation, particularly under the imposition of the National Security Law.","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141359246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Idioms of Dignity and Respect: Addressing Elderly Strangers in Buddhist Monastic Publics in Reformed China","authors":"Yang Shen","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340019","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000The paper examines the idioms of dignity and respect in addressing elderly individuals within Buddhist monastic publics in reformed China. It analyzes the use of three common address terms—jushi, shixiong, and lao pusa—and other phrasings as observed during fieldwork in Buddhist temples in Eastern and Southern China in the 2010s. By introducing the concept of “Buddhist monastic publics,” the study illuminates the dynamic interplay between a resident monastic life and the casual encounters of temple-goers. Address patterns are contextualized within the historical tension between monastic and lay statuses in a state-centric, Han-majority society, revealing fluctuating boundaries of inclusivity and exclusivity in Han Buddhist temple interactions. Overall, this study offers anthropological insights into the evolving dynamics of respect and recognition within contemporary Chinese Buddhist sociality. It highlights the diversity of discursive forms that inform and shape this social fabric, contributing to an interactionist interpretation of Buddhist temple engagement.","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140262799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Invention and Vicissitudes of the “Three Great Marvelous Traditions” (san da youliang chuantong 三大优良传统) in Contemporary Chinese Buddhism","authors":"Carsten Krause","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340015","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Religious life after the Cultural Revolution was more than just a revival of traditions. Much depended on the theoretical framing provided by Buddhist elites, the most prominent of whom became Zhao Puchu (1907–2000). As president of the Buddhist Association of China, he (re-)introduced the so-called renjian fojiao 人间佛教 (Buddhism for a Human Realm) as “guiding thought” and connected it with the “Three Great Marvelous Traditions,” which he identified as “equal weighting of agriculture and chan,” “strong concern for scientific research,” “friendly international exchange.” This article examines the trajectories of this construction and attempts to explore how it has been interpreted and used in official rhetoric and wider discourse over the past four decades, including possible reinterpretations after Zhao’s passing away. In a broader sense, this conceptual history may also raise the question of what the changing connotations of “tradition(s)”—old or new, dead or alive—have become in contemporary China.","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140261990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unraveling the Origins, Evolution, and Contemporary Applications of qili qiji 契理契机","authors":"Fang Xuan","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340014","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This article presents a historical exploration of the concept of qili qiji 契理契机 (according with the [core] principles [of Buddhism] and the circumstances or capacities [of sentient beings]) in the context of Buddhist thought from the Eastern Jin era (317–420 CE) to contemporary times, examining its origins, development, and dissemination, and the progressive expansion of its definition. The study explores the significance of qili qiji in the writings and discussions of influential figures and organizations in the domain of “Buddhism for the Human Realm” (renjian fojiao 人间佛教), such as Taixu 太虚, Yin Shun 印顺, Sheng-yen 圣严, Hsing Yun 星云, Zhao Puchu 赵朴初, and the Buddhist Association of China. Lastly, the study investigates the adoption of this term beyond the Buddhist community, specifically its incorporation into the official discourse of governmental religious affairs departments and its usage within other religions such as Daoism.","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140262542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial: Buddhist Concepts in Contemporary China","authors":"Carsten Krause","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340013","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140261995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the Geopolitical Implications of the Impending Religious Power Vacuum in Tibet","authors":"Jonathan Ba","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340012","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Despite being the smallest branch of Buddhism worldwide, Vajrayana Buddhism is the majority religion in Tibet, Mongolia, and Bhutan, where it wields significant religious and political power. This power has traditionally been concentrated among a small number of lamas, most notably the Dalai Lama, who upon their passing are replaced by a successor in accordance with traditional rituals. Since Tibet came under control of China in 1950, the Chinese Communist Party has sought to gain complete control over Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, coopting these leadership institutions by installing its own puppet lamas. However, the flight of the current Dalai Lama from the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959 led to the exodus of Tibetans to India, where a government-in- exile was established in Dharamsala. This government, which derives its legitimacy from the Dalai Lama, represents the interests of the Tibetan people, including challenging Chinese rule over Tibet. The current Dalai Lama is now an octogenarian, and his passing will create a religious power vacuum at the core of Vajrayana Buddhism. This paper explores several possible outcomes of this religious power vacuum, and whether Vajrayana Buddhism can maintain its integrity and autonomy moving forward.","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140419805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ethnographies of Islam in China, edited by Rachel Harris, Guangtian Ha, and Maria Jaschok","authors":"K. Fan","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340011","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47416730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Formation of Regional Religious Systems in Greater China, edited by Jiang Wu","authors":"Daniel M. Murray","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340010","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41430721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Uneasy Encounters: Christian Churches in Greater China, written by Magdaléna Rychetská","authors":"Joshua Tan","doi":"10.1163/22143955-12340009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-12340009","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29882,"journal":{"name":"Review of Religion and Chinese Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49021997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}