Whose Zhongguohua Is It Anyway?
Developing Chinese religions is not a socio-cultural or religious concern but one of international relations and national security.
Developing Chinese religions is not a socio-cultural or religious concern but one of international relations and national security.
Christianity has endured over 1,300 years of history in China, weathering many challenges and undergoing a long course of “assimilation.”
Can Zhongguohua be equated with the notion of indigenization? An attempt to draw a comparison is pursued through the lens of three distinctive dimensions.
In recent years, the approach to religious affairs has shifted toward the “Sinicization of Christianity.” This strategy is rooted in two key objectives: “countering infiltration” and “going global.”
Sinicization is the UFWD’s agenda for Chinese religious associations. All religions are to be Sinicized, even Taoism. But the challenge of bringing “foreign religions” like Christianity and Islam into the Party’s agenda requires increased effort.
Xi’s directive to align all religions with Zhongguohua is not only rooted in academic and institutional history but is also deeply embedded in the traditions of the official Protestant church.
The work is a must-read for anyone concerned with the direction of Chinese religions and China’s religious policy.
Sinicization, Chinafication, or Zhongguohua? Defining the term in question goes to the heart of understanding China’s current policy and its effect upon religious believers.
Here are some sources that may interest ChinaSource readers concerned with religious life and religious policy in contemporary China, with a thematic focus on Protestant Christianity.
Sinicization, Chinafication, or Zhongguohua? Defining the term in question goes to the heart of understanding China’s current policy and its effect upon religious believers.
Research and advocacy organizations who have kept the world informed of rights violations in China and other countries are now laying off staff, resulting in decreased visibility into the lives of those who suffer for their faith.
Open Doors has released its latest World Watch List, the annual roster of countries where persecution of Christians is most extreme. China moved up in the rankings, from 19th to 15th place among the 50 nations profiled.