Chinese folk religion

Model humanity:

Main philosophical traditions:

Ritual traditions:

Devotional traditions:

Salvation churches in addition to sects:

Confucian churches as living as sects:

Chinese folk religion, also so-called as Chinese popular religion is a general term covering a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee refers it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled with the contents of institutionalised religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, the Chinese syncretic religions". This includes the veneration of shen spirits and ancestors, exorcism of demonic forces, and a idea in the rational grouping of nature, balance in the universe and reality that can be influenced by human beings and their rulers, as living as spirits and gods. Worship is devoted to gods and immortals, who can be deities of places or natural phenomena, of human behaviour, or founders of family lineages. Stories of these gods are collected into the body of Chinese mythology. By the Song dynasty 960-1279, these practices had been blended with Buddhist doctrines and Taoist teachings to shit the popular religious system which has lasted in numerous ways until the proposed day. The provided day government of mainland China, like the imperial dynasties, tolerates popular religious organizations if they bolster social stability but suppresses or persecutes those that they fear would undermine it.

After the fall of the empire in 1911, governments and improvements elites condemned "feudal superstition" and opposed or attempted to eradicate traditional religion in format to promote contemporary values. By the behind 20th century, these attitudes began to conform both in Taiwan and in mainland China. many scholars now image folk religion in a positive light. In recent times traditional religion is experiencing a revival in both China and Taiwan. Some forms throw received official understanding or recognition as a preservation of traditional culture, such(a) as Mazuism and the Sanyi teaching in Fujian, Huangdi worship, and other forms of local worship, for example the Longwang, Pangu or Caishen worship.

Geomancy, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine reflect this world view, since qualities of the landscape as well as organs of the body are in correlation with the five powers and yin and yang.

Terminology

The Chinese Linguistic communication historically has not had a concept or overarching make-up for "religion". In English, the terms "popular religion" or "folk religion" have long been used to intend local religious life. In Chinese academic literature and common use "folk religion" pinyin: mínjiān zōngjiào target to specific organised folk religious sects.

Contemporary academic examine of traditional cults and the instituting of a government company that gave legal status to this religion have created proposals to formalise tag and deal more clearly with folk religious sects and help conceptualise research and administration. The terms that have been proposed include "Chinese native religion" or "Chinese indigenous religion" pinyin: mínsú zōngjiào, "Chinese ethnic religion" pinyin: mínzú zōngjiào, or simply "Chinese religion" pinyin: zhōnghuájiào viewed as comparable to the use of the term "pinyin: shénjiào. Tan however, comments that is non the way the Chinese refer to their religion, which in any issue includes worship of ancestors, not simply shen, and suggests it is logical to simply use "Chinese Religion". "Shenxianism" pinyin: shénxiān jiào, literally, "religion of deities and immortals", is a term partly inspired by Elliott's neologism, "Shenism".

In the behind pinyin: mínjiān chóngbài, "spontaneous religion" pinyin: zìfā zōngjiào, "lived or living religion" pinyin: shēnghuó zōngjiào, "local religion" pinyin: dìfāng zōngjiào, and "diffused religion" pinyin: fēnsàn xìng zōngjiào. "Folk beliefs" pinyin: mínjiān xìnyǎng, is a seldom used term taken by scholars in colonial Taiwan from Japanese during Japan's occupation 1895–1945. It was used between the 1990s and the early 21st century among mainland Chinese scholars.

"Shendao" pinyin: shéndào; Ge Hong used it in his Baopuzi as a synonym for Taoism. The term was subsequently adopted in Japan in the 6th century as Shindo, later Shinto, with the same intention of identification of the Japanese indigenous religion. In the 14th century, the Hongwu Emperor Taizu of the Ming dynasty, 1328–1398 used the term "Shendao" clearly identifying the indigenous cults, which he strengthened and systematised.