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Religion in China

Religion in China
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Religion in China. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City is packed with people for the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong politics

Beijing-Vatican ties built under pope must be maintained: Hong Kong cardinal

Cardinal Stephen Chow says there is a ‘formal need for meeting on a regular basis to talk about progress’.

History

Recap | China’s religious history features many faiths and a cult that started a war

Hong Kong society

Pope Francis cared deeply for ‘church in China’, Hong Kong mourners hear

China-EU relations

EU stays the course on Xinjiang sanctions as China eases up on bloc’s lawmakers

European Union’s diplomatic arm says no plans to reciprocate Beijing’s overture as it has not observed improvements in far western region.

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Men pray during services at a mosque in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in April 2021. The EU has sanctioned several Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in the far western Chinese region. Photo: AP
Hong Kong politics

Church in Hong Kong expected to remain bridge between Vatican and Beijing

Vatican and Beijing will be moving towards a more harmonious and conciliatory relationship, no matter who the next pope is, expert says.

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China-Vatican relations

China conveys condolences after death of Pope Francis, seeks closer Vatican ties

Future of relations remains uncertain, analysts warn, given unresolved issues and possible policy shifts under the next pope.

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Ramadan

China Islamic group rebrands as Beijing tightens grip on religions

Semi-official group drops logo and Islamic symbols from website and social media account, a move that may risk alienating ordinary Muslims.

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A street in Kashgar Old Town, in China’s western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. China’s campaign to “sinicise religion” has had particular impact on Hui and Uygur Muslims. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

US hits Thai officials with visa sanctions over deportation of Uygurs to China

A group of at least 40 Uygurs was sent back last month despite warnings from UN experts that they could face torture and ‘irreparable harm’.

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From our archives

When John Baptist Wu was first HK bishop to visit communist China

His historic trip marked a significant step in dialogue, but he was barred from seeing jailed ‘counter-revolutionary’ Bishop Kong in Shanghai.

China’s Communist Party

Wang Huning calls for ‘safe and orderly’ religious activities

Call by Communist Party’s fourth most senior official for ‘law-based management’ of religious affairs follows similar message from the premier.

Top Chinese officials this week have called for stepped up restrictions on religious activities across the country. Photo: AFP
Trending in China

China ritual sees villagers rolling on ‘thorn bed’, suffering cuts for deities

Painful event involving half-naked, ‘brave’ men attracts crowds, cheers from onlookers get louder as more blood is drawn from participants.

A rural ritual in China sees villagers rolling on a “thorn bed”, enduring cuts and scars to connect with the deities. Photo: SCMP composite/Sina
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Is God there? Yes, said China’s Confucius, but so what?

Chinese philosopher Kongzi, also known as Confucius, put no faith in deities, preferring to focus on the here and now.

US-China relations

3 Uygurs freed as part of US-China prisoner exchange: report

The Biden administration reportedly drove ‘a fairly tough bargain’ with Beijing in gaining the release of the Uygurs.

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China-Vatican relations

China and Vatican agree to extend deal on bishop appointments for 4 more years

The 2018 agreement allows Beijing to nominate candidates to fill vacant sees but critics say it has ‘sold out’ China’s underground Catholics.

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The deal recognised Pope Francis’s status as head of the Roman Catholic Church. Photo: Reuters
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Why China avoided the wars of religion that consumed other places

Different faiths have coexisted more or less peacefully throughout Chinese history, with foreign religions accepted and later on Sinicised.

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Buddhist art in the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, in Gansu province, China. Different religions and belief systems have co-existed more or less peacefully throughout Chinese history. Photo: Getty Images
Trending in China

Panic as Taiwanese woman takes temple statue home for DIY paint job

Woman keeps 3 deity statues at home, often takes others from temples to expand her collection.

Pope Francis

Pope calls Beijing ‘a promise and hope’ for church in new overture to China

Francis says China has ‘a capacity for dialogue and understanding that goes beyond other systems of democracy’ and says he wants to visit.

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China’s Communist Party

Buddhists urged to obey reincarnation rules as Dalai Lama mulls successor

Top monks and religious experts gather for seminar aimed at making Tibetan Buddhism ‘compatible with socialist society’.

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Monks and religious experts attend a meeting in Lanzhou, Gansu province on Tuesday about policies and regulations governing the “reincarnation of living Buddhas” in Tibetan Buddhism. Photo: Weibo/琼布活佛
Human rights in China

China’s ‘problematic laws’ remain in Xinjiang years after damning report: UN

The UN’s human rights body had cited policies in Xinjiang that ‘may constitute crimes against humanity’.

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Chinese culture

Reflections | Chinese Peranakans are proof great things can emerge despite cultural loss

Early Chinese settlers in Southeast Asia gained from assimilating with locals, as did foreign migrants to China. They offer a positive example to Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia who fret over their heritage.

Chinese history

How introduction of Catholicism impacted Chinese beliefs of retribution

Catholicism was decriminalised in China in 1669, opening up an era of ethical debate and ideological dynamism.

As Catholicism gained acceptance in China during Emperor Kangxi’s reign some 360 years ago, it intricately intertwined with local beliefs, notably Buddhism and indigenous folk religions. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | He said he was Jesus’ brother. His Taiping Rebellion doomed Qing dynasty

New religious movements are common. Followers of a Malaysian ‘Teacher’ worship a ‘Creator’. China’s Qing dynasty never got over its brutal military suppression of such a movement, the Taiping Rebellion.

A drawing of Hong Xiuquan, a Hakka Chinese who led the Taiping Rebellion against China’s Qing dynasty. Its brutal suppression by imperial troops left 20 to 30 million people dead. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong society

Letters | Hong Kong should uphold Muslim women’s right to wear the hijab

Readers discuss the importance of the freedom of religion in a cosmopolitan city, the need for sensible rules to reduce plastic waste, and the ICC’s demand for accountability in Gaza war.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | As Hong Kong chases Muslim Mideast money, memories of China’s oldest mosque

An hour by high-speed train from Hong Kong, in Guangzhou, is the Huaisheng Mosque, which probably dates from the 10th century, some three centuries after Muslims began settling in the city.

Trending in China

China killer lives double life as monk and husband snared after 23 years on run

A fugitive killer in China who escaped after murdering two people in 2001, has been captured after police received a tip-off which led them to uncover details of his bizarre secret life.

A fugitive in China, wanted for the murder of two people 23 years ago, has been caught by police who discovered that he has been living a bizarre double life as a man of religion. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/The Paper
Trending in China

Profile | Why China actress is worshipped as sea goddess Mazu in mainland coastal areas

People in a coastal province in China are convinced that the actress who played a popular deity in a TV series is actually the real thing and kneel before photos of her.

Why is this actress worshipped as sea goddess Mazu in China? Many believe Liu Tao is a living god who protects seafarers. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu/Zhihu
Chinese culture

5 things to know about Ching Ming, the Chinese tomb sweeping festival

Ching Ming is an occasion for Chinese families to honour their dead by burning paper money and objects useful in the afterlife, offering food and wine, and clearing tombs of dust, weeds and debris.

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China’s Communist Party

China’s top political adviser calls to deepen ‘sinicisation of Christianity’

Leaders of China’s Christian groups should ‘adhere to the direction of sinicisation of Christianity’, core values of socialism and traditional Chinese culture, Wang Huning says.

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