Chinese Religions in Contemporary Societies

The general introduction frames the book around the complexity of “Chinese religions” as both the religious life of Han Chinese communities and the broader traditions historically associated with China. It explains that Chinese religions today cannot be reduced to ethnicity or geography, because Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Confucianism, local ritual, and diaspora practices all move across national and cultural boundaries. The chapters begin with historical and theoretical background on China’s religious legacy and the relationship between religion, science, and modernity. The volume then studies local religion in contemporary China, Buddhism and economic reform, Daoist monasticism, Taiwanese shamanism, qigong, Protestant Christianity, women in Chinese religions, Chinese American religious life, Chinese traditions in Euro-American society, and Confucian spirituality in an ecological age.