The Pluralistic Religious Landscape in China
Religion in China has been characterized by pluralism since the beginning of Chinese history. Temples of many different religions dot China’s landscape, particularly those of Taoism, Buddhism, and Chi- nese folk religion. Mahayana Buddhism remains the largest organized religion in China since its introduction in the 1st century.
China is a country with a great diversity of religions, with over 100 million followers of the various faiths. The main religions are Bud- dhism, Islam, Christianity, China’s indigenous Taoism, along with Sha- manism, and the Naxi people’s Dongba religion. Religious Han Chinese tend to practice Buddhism, Christianity or Taoism.
Buddhism was introduced to China from India approximately in the 1st century AD, becoming increasingly popular and the most influ- ential religion in China after the 4th century. Tibetan Buddhism, as a branch of Mahayana Buddhism, is popular primarily in Tibet and Inner Mongolia. Islam probably first reached China in the mid-7th century. The Yuan Dynasty witnessed the zenith of prosperity of Islam. Catholic influence reached China several times after the 7th century, and Prot- estantism was introduced into China in the early 19th century. Taoism probably took shape as a religion during the second century, based on the philosophy of Laozi and his work, the Dao De Jing .
Heaven Worship: An Ancient Belief System
The Heaven worship was the bureaucratic belief system subscribed to by most dynasties of China until the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. This religious system predated Taoism, Confucian thought and the introduction of Buddhism and Christianity; its dogmas supported the basements of the imperial hierarchy.
Worship of Heaven included the erection of temples, the last and greatest being the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and the offering of prayers. Heaven was believed to manifest itself through the powers of the weather and natural disasters. Heaven was seen as a judge of humans.
After the advent of Taoism and Buddhism, Heaven monotheism faded in popular belief. However, some of its concepts remained in use throughout the pre-modern period. These concepts, often influenced heavily by Confucian theory, include the Mandate of Heaven, the Em- peror’s role as Son of Heaven, and the legitimate overthrow of a dy- nasty when its “mandate” ended. These structures actually consolidated the authority of the Emperor.
The concept of the almighty Heaven remained in popular expres- sions. In English, people would say “Oh my God” or “Thank God”, a Chinese person might say “Oh Heaven”or “Thank the heavens and the earth.”
Ancestor Worship: A Testament to Filial Piety
Chinese veneration of ancestors dates back to the prehistory. Chi- nese culture, Confucianism, and Chinese Buddhism all value filial piety as a top virtue, and the act is a continued display of piety and respect towards departed ancestors.
The veneration of ancestors can even extend to legendary figures or historical, such as the patriarch or founder of one’s Chinese surname, virtuous individuals such as Confucius or Guan Yu, or the mythological figures like the Yellow Emperor, supposed as the ancestor of all Chinese people. The veneration of ancestors is conducted in many other ceremo- nies, including weddings and funerals.
Worshipers generally offer prayers and food for the ancestors, light incense and candles, and burn offerings of joss paper. These activities are typically conducted at the site of ancestral graves or tombs, at an an- cestral temple, or at a household shrine by some people.
Feng Shui: The Ancient Art of Harmonizing with Nature
Feng Shui is an ancient art relating to the law and order of the universe, and the power of nature. It’s a system based on the ele- ments of astronomy, astrology, geology, physics, mathematics, philosophy, psychology and intuition. Feng Shui has its roots in the Chinese reverence for nature and belief in the oneness of all things. The assumption is that the key to living a harmonious life is to reflect the balance of nature in their daily lives. This is most easily understood by the following concepts: Yin and Yang, Qi, and the Five Elements.
What Feng Shui relates to is all that matters in people’s lives: their environment, places, people, time and the interaction between these factors. Through the knowledge of Feng Shui, people are be- lieved to be able to make themselves more compatible with nature, their surroundings and their own everyday life, making a positive impact on their finances, health, and emotions.
In China, Feng Shui is also a special and important element in architecture and it usually links the whole process from site selection, design, construction to inner and outer decorating. Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese belief system that addresses the layout of cities, villages, dwellings, and buildings. It opposes to the human destruction of nature, and seeks the placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. All these are the positive sides of Feng Shui.
Classical Feng Shui began as interplay of construction and as- tronomy. Early Yangshao houses at Banpo were oriented to catch the mid-afternoon winter sun at its warmest, just after the winter solstice. The grave at Puyang that contains mosaics of the Dragon and Tiger constellations and Beidou (Big Dipper) is similarly orient- ed with cosmological accuracy along a north-south axis. The tombs of Shang kings and their consorts at Xiaotun lie on a north-south axis, ten degrees east of due north. The Shang palaces at Erlitou are also on a north-south axis, slightly west of true north. These orien- tations were obtained by astronomy, not by magnetic compass. All capital cities of China followed rules of Feng Shui for their design and layout. Graves and tombs also followed rules of Feng Shui.
Feng Shui also has its influence in the West. Some businesses typically use Feng Shui to increase sales and boost morale. Home- owners have come to use it in an attempt to bring peace and har- mony to their surroundings.
Countless architects, landscape designers, restaurant designers, and Hollywood stars have embraced Feng Shui, and it has had a strong influence on buildings, architects, and designers globally. This was done as a way to rebel against the concrete-and-glass absolutism of the Bauhaus pragmatists or the inflexibility of Le Corbusier and his fixed immoveable housing, and so add more natural and people-friendly calming features to interior space.
