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Nectar Gan

Monks, priests and imams on the mainland earn an average of only 500 yuan (HK$630) a month, a quarter of them are not medically insured, and 40 per cent have no old-age pension insurance, a study has found.
Renmin University surveyed nearly 4,400 religious facilities in 31 province-level regions between 2013 and 2015.
The results were published in the "China Religion Report 2015" on Tuesday.
The study found that the average monthly income of clergy in five major religions on the mainland - Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam - was 506 yuan.
Buddhist monks earn on average as little as 397 yuan each month, in stark contrast to many people's belief that they are generally well paid.
"Recruitment advertisements" allegedly from Buddhist temples and convents have drawn much attention on mainland social media in recent years, claiming to offer handsome salaries - ranging from a few thousand to nearly 10,000 yuan a month - to monks and nuns.
But many of the adverts were hoaxes, with temples denying ever having posting such notices, according to media reports.
According to the Renmin University survey, most clergy were aged between 30 and 60, and one in 10 held a bachelor's degree.
Among the 4,382 heads of religious venues surveyed, the average age was 55, one in five was a woman, and 15 per cent had some university education.
Among worshippers, more than half were aged below 60. Some 43 per cent had only a primary school education or below, and only 5 per cent held a bachelor's degree.
Places of worship on the mainland were also becoming more integrated into modern society.
Some 56 per cent of the venues surveyed held an organisation code certificate - a legal code mark required for participation in all social economic activities in the country.
About 47 per cent of the religious venues had their own bank accounts, 10 per cent used the internet to preach or publicise their religion, and 10 per cent used projectors or other media devices to carry out their religious activities.
Meanwhile, places of worship remained under tight government control.
The State Bureau of Religious Affairs paid almost four visits on average to every venue each year, while the ruling Communist Party's United Front Work Department - which is in charge of coordinating ethnic minorities and religions - paid them close to two visits a year.
Since 1977, the year after the Cultural Revolution ended, 8 per cent of mainland Protestant churches were shut down - much higher than the 3.8 per cent average for the five major religions, the study found.


China's monks, priests and imams earn meagre wages despite ads of decent salary

News

China

Religious workers survive on just 500 yuan a month on average and are often not entitled to any insurance or pension, survey finds


"Recruitment advertisements" allegedly from Buddhist temples and convents claim to offer handsome salaries, many were hoaxes.
