BEIJING: China's ruling Communist Party has ordered the provincial governments to regulate development of enormous outside religious statues in a bid to forestall "commercialisation" of Buddhist and Taoist religions, reputable media reported on Saturday.
Both Buddhism and Taoism were formally recognised in Communist China with thousands of temples, even supposing they have been subjected to heavy crackdown all through the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) headed by Communist Party of China (CPC) founder Mao Zedong to cleanse China of its religious past.
Local governments were requested to ramp up efforts to regulate the construction of new large outside religious statues, the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the CPC directed the previous day.
Chinese society has reached common floor on regulating the commercialisation of Buddhist and Taoist activities and the apply of establishing large outside religious statues has made some development, however more demanding situations nonetheless lie forward, consistent with a gathering held by the UFWD in Beijing on Wednesday, Global Times reported.
While Buddhism which emanated from India remained the oldest faith in China, Taoism, often referred to as Daoism, is an indigenous religious or philosophical custom of Chinese foundation.
Buddhist statues are dotted far and wide China as Buddhism remained a dominant faith within the country.
An reputable white paper on religions in China launched closing month said China has 200 million believers.
The primary religions practised in China, which can be Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, have more than three.80 lakh clerical body of workers, it said.
There are about five,500 religious groups in China, together with seven national organisations, and about 144,000 places of worship registered for religious activities, together with 33,500 Buddhist temples of various schools, 9,000 Taoist temples.
Since President Xi Jinping took over energy, heading the CPC, the Presidency and the army, and becoming probably the most tough chief of China lately, he has been emphasising on the CPC strengthening the credentials of its core Marxist ideology wedded to the atheistic values.
The UFWD has requested the local governments to create specific plans and timetables for regulating the construction of any new large outside religious statues and fighting the additional commercialisation of religions must be their "top priority".
"The regulation on religious statues doesn't mean the country is against religion, it aims to stop religions from profit-making activities," Xiong Kunxin, a professor with Beijing's Minzu University of China, advised the Times.
Over-commercialisation will contaminate the sanctity of religion and threaten social balance, Xiong said.
Zhu Weiqun, former chairman of the ethnic and religious committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that "the crackdown must be resolute. We cannot give up halfway. The phenomenon still largely exists across China".
Both Buddhism and Taoism were formally recognised in Communist China with thousands of temples, even supposing they have been subjected to heavy crackdown all through the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) headed by Communist Party of China (CPC) founder Mao Zedong to cleanse China of its religious past.
Local governments were requested to ramp up efforts to regulate the construction of new large outside religious statues, the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the CPC directed the previous day.
Chinese society has reached common floor on regulating the commercialisation of Buddhist and Taoist activities and the apply of establishing large outside religious statues has made some development, however more demanding situations nonetheless lie forward, consistent with a gathering held by the UFWD in Beijing on Wednesday, Global Times reported.
While Buddhism which emanated from India remained the oldest faith in China, Taoism, often referred to as Daoism, is an indigenous religious or philosophical custom of Chinese foundation.
Buddhist statues are dotted far and wide China as Buddhism remained a dominant faith within the country.
An reputable white paper on religions in China launched closing month said China has 200 million believers.
The primary religions practised in China, which can be Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, have more than three.80 lakh clerical body of workers, it said.
There are about five,500 religious groups in China, together with seven national organisations, and about 144,000 places of worship registered for religious activities, together with 33,500 Buddhist temples of various schools, 9,000 Taoist temples.
Since President Xi Jinping took over energy, heading the CPC, the Presidency and the army, and becoming probably the most tough chief of China lately, he has been emphasising on the CPC strengthening the credentials of its core Marxist ideology wedded to the atheistic values.
The UFWD has requested the local governments to create specific plans and timetables for regulating the construction of any new large outside religious statues and fighting the additional commercialisation of religions must be their "top priority".
"The regulation on religious statues doesn't mean the country is against religion, it aims to stop religions from profit-making activities," Xiong Kunxin, a professor with Beijing's Minzu University of China, advised the Times.
Over-commercialisation will contaminate the sanctity of religion and threaten social balance, Xiong said.
Zhu Weiqun, former chairman of the ethnic and religious committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that "the crackdown must be resolute. We cannot give up halfway. The phenomenon still largely exists across China".
China orders crackdown on outdoor religious statues
![China orders crackdown on outdoor religious statues]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
May 27, 2018
Rating:
