Local Religion in North China in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

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.

Introduction

“…Studies on the role of religion in the local economic life of communities thanks to tourism offer other examples of the close connection between popular religious practices and state sponsorship (Oakes and Sutton 2010). Many anthropologists have preferred to use more value-neutral terms such as 'local religions' (Dean 1998(Dean , 2003Dubois 2005;Overmyer 2009), or 'communal religions' (Dean 2003), which emphasize their attachment to village life, even when they are practiced in urban neighborhood. But other religious phenomena that cannot fit into the label of communal religions have also received attention, such as the practice of geomancy (fengshui 風水) (Bruun 2003).…”

Managing Religious Diversity in China

“…Daniel Overmyer has suggested, moreover, that the model of church-like religions does not work well as a means to study communal religions, since the practice of these two religions does not require from followers the same degree of attendance to rituals expected of Christians and Muslims, they do not claim exclusive membership, and the separation between the sphere of the religious and that of the secular is far from clear (Overmyer, 2009). The creation of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) in 1953 and the Taoist equivalent in 1957 reflects a decision made by the CPC to monitor the activities of religious adherents rather than reflecting internal dynamics.…”

Gifts of Money and Gifts of Time: Folk Religion and Civic Involvement in a Chinese Society

“…Most studies on the pro-civic effects of religiosity, however, focus on Christianity, but it is still not clear how a non-Judeo-Christian religion could influence followers' propensity for volunteering and giving. In Chinese society, many people practice folk religion (e.g., Clart 2007;Fan 2003;Chang and Chang 2006;Chau 2006;Hansen 1990;Jordan 1972;Overmyer 2003Overmyer , 2009Qu 2006;Teiser 1999;Yang and Hu 2012). A recent empirical research shows that folk religion followers in Chinese societies even outnumber institutional religion adherents (Pew Research Center 2012;Yang and Hu 2012).…”