Preteaching: Chinese Religions
Origins to the Present
Chinese Civilization
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Chinese
civilization began
c. 1800 BCE
between the
Yangtze
(Chang Jiang) and
the Yellow (Huang
He) River Valley
Zhou Dynasty
1046-256 BCE)
The Spring and Autumn Period, 1/2
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Civil war spread across
China from 771 to 476
BCE
These centuries in
Chinese history are
called “The Spring and
Autumn Period”
The Spring and Autumn Period, 2/2
Chinese civilization was
threatened
- the government
stopped working
-cities were destroyed
- many thousands of
Chinese were killed
- bandits roamed the
countryside
- nothing seemed safe or
certain
Spring and Autumn Period
In this environment, several philosophies/
religions emerged.
Each wanted to find the TAO, or the “WAY,” to
fix China!
Some of the Hundred Schools of Thought
Confucianism
Taoism
Legalism
Moism
Confucius
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Kung-fu Tzu was a
government clerk
around 500 BC.
Kung-fu Tzu wandered
across China teaching
his own version of the
Tao.
After his death, his
students collected his
sayings and teachings
in a book called “The
Analects”
• Confucius called for
• order,
• control (of the self
and others),
• hierarchy.
In other words: know
your place, do your
duty!
Hierarchy
Spread of Confucianism
• The Chinese
Emperors loved
Confucianism!
Officials were
expected to be
trained in
Confucianism
• Confucians founded
schools across East
Asia.
Buddhism in
China
• Buddhism had arrived
in China (from India) by
100 CE
• By 600 CE, Ch'an (Zen)
Buddhism was a major
Chinese religion
• Chinese Buddhists
spread Buddhism to
Korea, Japan, and
Taiwan.
• Today, 500M Chinese
identify as Buddhists.
1.7B people are
Buddhists, worldwide.
Communism and Religion
Communism is suspicious of organized religion,
which it believes has been a tool to oppress
people in history.
Communist countries are officially atheist.
Religions in China under the
Communist Party
• Under the Communist party in China, religions
have undergone periods of repression. During the
Cultural Revolution (1966/7) thousands of
religious sites were destroyed.
• Since the 1970s, religions have been experiencing
a revival in China. In recent years, this has been
speeding up.
• Officially, the government of China recognizes five
religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestant
and Catholic Christianity. All are closely overseen
by the Government.