In the last 20 years religious traditions in many parts of China have revived their activities and organizations and rebuilt their temples, mosques and churches, despite decades of strict regulation and repression by the government. This revival is an aspect of the greater social freedom that has accompanied the economic development and diversification of that period.
Chünfang , Zheng Zhenman , etc. Two long-term collaborative research projects in particular have marked the progress being made in our understanding of Chinese communal religious traditions. Th e fi rst is the Minsu quyi congshu (85 volumes, edited by Wang Ch'iu-kuei ; the second is the Kejia chuantong shehui congshu (30 volumes, edited by John Lagerwey and his colleagues in China). 2 1 For an overview of these issues, see Catherine Bell (1989), "Religion and Chinese Culture: Toward an Assessment of 'Popular Religion' ". History of Religions 29(1): 35−57. 2 The importance of these projects is clearly attested to by the publication of Ethnography in China Today: A Critical Assessment of Methods and Results, edited by Daniel L. Overmyer with the assistance of Chao Shin-yi. Taipei: Yuanliu xiv preface friends who have over the years shared their reactions and comments on chapters of this manuscript.
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