"Chinese Religion" is a new introduction to the field of Chinese religion and culture. It seeks to guide readers through some of the primary source material and to introduce them to continuing, contemporary debates and interpretations of religious ideas, concepts and practices in China and beyond. Religious beliefs are never pursued and held in a vacuum; they are an integral part of a particular culture, interwoven and interactive with other elements of the culture and tradition. Chinese religion in this sense can be said to be part of Chinese culture and history. In this clear account, Xinzhong Yao and Yanxia Zhao move away from the traditional and outmoded definition of Chinese religion, the three institutional doctrines: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, towards a multi-layered hermeneutic of the syncretic nature and functions of religions in China. Additional features include questions for reflection and discussion and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.
"Chinese Religion" is a new introduction to the field of Chinese religion and culture. It seeks to guide readers through some of the primary source material and to introduce them to continuing, contemporary debates and interpretations of religious ideas, concepts and practices in China and beyond. Religious beliefs are never pursued and held in a vacuum; they are an integral part of a particular culture, interwoven and interactive with other elements of the culture and tradition. Chinese religion in this sense can be said to be part of Chinese culture and history. In this clear account, Xinzhong Yao and Yanxia Zhao move away from the traditional and outmoded definition of Chinese religion, the three institutional doctrines: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, towards a multi-layered hermeneutic of the syncretic nature and functions of religions in China. Additional features include questions for reflection and discussion and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.
A Timeline of Chinese Religion Preface 1. Setting the Context 2. Religion and Zongjiao 3. Religion in History 4. Religion as Culture 5. Religion in Family contexts 6. Religion and State 7. Religious Beliefs 8. Religious Practices 9. Religion as the Way of Life Appendix I: Bibliography Appendix II: A Glossary of Chinese Characters and Terms Appendix III: A Glossary of Chinese Names and Texts Index
A new introduction to the field of Chinese religion and culture ideally suited to undergraduate students.
Xinzhong Yao is Professor of Chinese Religion at King's College
London, UK, and author of An Introduction to Confucianism
(Cambridge University Press 2000). Yanxia Zhao is Lecturer in
Chinese Studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter,
UK, and author of Father and Son in Confucianism and
Christianity: A Comparative Study of Xunzi and Paul (Sussex
Academic Press, 2007).
With interest in China and things Chinese growing at an
unprecedented rate, this wide-ranging, informative and readable
introduction to Chinese religion by Xinzhong Yao and Yanxia Zhao is
both timely and welcome. Based on twenty years experience of
teaching a course in Chinese religion and culture, the authors
provide a first-rate account of Han Chinese religion in its social
and historical context, aimed at students and the general reader.
Highly recommended!
*Professor Brian Bocking, University College Cork, Ireland*
This book is excellent for educational purposes thanks to the
thematic approach, and can also be used as a supplement for
introductions to more traditional forms of Chinese religion.
*Tijdschrift voor Theologie [Bloomsbury Translation]*
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