Page 17 - 01/2022 PULSE@FASS e-Bulletin

FACULTY OPINION PIECE Issue no. 1 | 2022
FACULTY OPINION PIECE
Religion in China: An Overview

by Dr Peter T. C. Chang
Institute of China Studies

Religion may be understood as the external
manifestation of humankind's innate urge to
comprehend the transcendent. It is this primordial
impulse to fathom the unknown that underpins
humanity’s inquisitive engagement with the spiritual
realm. A metaphysical quest is an integral part of what it
means to be wholly human. Despite the challenges
posed by secular modernity, and the ‘death of God’
hypotheses, human religiosity has not died. It has stood
the test of time, and remains an essential feature in the
world civilizational landscape, including in mainland
China.

Among the many religions still practised across the
globe, the Chinese belief system is perhaps one of the
most syncretized and polytheistic. It is the product of
centuries of interaction and cross-fertilization between
varied visions, convictions, and mythologies resulting
in an organic entity commonly understood as Chinese became disillusioned with public office and retreated
religiosity. This multifaceted belief system defies easy back into the scholastic life of a philosopher.
definition and escapes neat categorization, even by the
Chinese practitioners themselves. Even as his influence began to grow, Confucius did not
see himself as the creator of a new movement but as a
Still, there are core strands holding together this mere transmitter of wisdom from the past. Indeed,
complex amalgamation of diverse philosophical and Confucianism was just one of the many schools of
religious impulses and persuasions. One way to make thought that were competing to shape the political and
sense of this ‘unity in diversity’ is through the moral character of ancient China. But over time it was
perspective of the division of labour. These variegated the ethical precepts of Confucius that proved most
traditions complement each other by serving specific enduring, leaving an indelible mark upon the Sinic
functions in the life of the Chinese, as individuals, a civilization.
community, and a civilization. These distinctions can
be looked at through the broad ‘this-worldly’ and Though native to China, Confucianism is described by
‘other-worldly’ division. Confucianism takes the lead German philosopher Karl Jasper as one of the Axial Age
role in shaping the mundane Chinese social-political traditions, with universal appeal to all humankind.
order. The rest, namely Daoism and folk religions, step Unique for its time, Confucianism, like Islam, asserted
in to address the concerns unanswered by that the precepts of Heaven are applicable to every
Confucianism, mostly on matters pertaining to the human being, regardless of race and geography. What
transcendental. is less clear is whether Confucianism and Islam share
the same notion of Heaven. In fact, there is significant
Confucianism debate whether the former is a philosophy or a religion.
Without question, Confucius did not deny the
Around the 6th – 5th century BCE, Confucius was born existence of a transcendental power, but the Chinese
into the gentry scholar class and grew to become an sage tended to accord more attention to this-worldly
influential teacher. Concerned with affairs of the wider concerns than to other-worldly matters:
world, he became involved in governance and had a
“If we do not know life, how can we know death.”
brief stint as a state minister. But Confucius quickly

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