Ranking of China's Five Major Religions

China is a country where multiple ethnic groups develop harmoniously and where religious freedom is practiced. The main religions practiced in China include Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Catholicism, and Islam. Chinese citizens are free to choose, express, and identify their religious beliefs.

Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are the core of traditional Chinese culture. Confucianism emphasizes benevolence and righteousness, sacrificing oneself for righteousness, and governing the country with benevolence and filial piety. Taoism emphasizes harmony with nature, following the natural way, and governing the country through non-action. Buddhism is an idealist school of thought that emphasizes self-cultivation.

Buddhism

Buddhism was founded in ancient India in the 6th century BC by Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of Kapilavastu (present-day Nepal). It has existed for over 2,500 years. Buddhism can be divided into Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism. After spreading throughout Asia, Buddhism quickly integrated with the cultures of various ethnic groups.

The influence of Buddhism in China is profound and far-reaching, penetrating into philosophy, culture, art, language, and social customs. As one of the major religions in China, Buddhism has integrated deeply with traditional Chinese culture, forming a pattern of the integration of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. It has greatly enriched Chinese philosophy and shaped people’s values such as kindness, compassion, karma and tolerance.

Buddhism has also left a huge mark on Chinese language and literature,The most famous Chinese mythological novel, Journey to the West is based on Buddhism . In terms of art and architecture, Buddhist temples, grottoes including the Mogao Grottoes, as well as Buddhist sculptures and paintings, have become important representatives of Chinese traditional art. In addition, Buddhism has influenced many folk festivals and daily customs, such as the Laba Festival and vegetarian culture, and promoted the tradition of charity and public welfare. Buddhism is not only a religious belief but also an indispensable part of Chinese civilization.

Taoism

Taoism is an indigenous Chinese religion, an organized religion. It takes "Tao" as its highest belief, the Tao Te Ching as its supreme scripture, Lao Tzu as its founder, and talismans, alchemy, breathing exercises, and the ingestion of elixirs as its main practices. Based on ancient Chinese Taoist thought and theory, it integrates methods for achieving immortality, folk beliefs in ghosts and spirits, and shamanistic practices.

Taoism has a history of over 1700 years in China. There are currently over 9,000 Taoist temples and monasteries in China, with over 50,000 male and female Taoist practitioners. There are also five Taoist colleges in China. The number of believers is so large that it is difficult to count.

Numerous Taoist organizations emerged during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, notably the Way of Great Peace (Taiping Dao) and the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice (Wudoumi Dao). During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the two major systems of Taoism, the Zhengyi School and the Quanzhen School, were basically established. Taoism declined during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, its status diminishing. Taoism is polytheistic, and the deities it venerates are personifications of its belief in the "Tao." Taoist priests are clergy members of Taoism, similar to pastors in other countries, while temples and monasteries are places of activity for Taoists.

Confucianism

Confucianism refers to the school of thought founded by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period, which aimed to uphold the Zhou rites and was also known as Confucianism. Confucianism served as the foundation for the rule of ancient Chinese emperors for a long time and occupied a dominant position in the mainstream ideology. Its influence extended to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, the Indochina Peninsula, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions.

The core of Confucianism is: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.

Explanation of Common Confucian Terms

The Three Cardinal Guides and the Five Constant Virtues:

• The Three Cardinal Guides: The ruler guides the subject, the father guides the son, and the husband guides the wife.
• The Five Constant Virtues: Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trustworthiness.

Catholicism

Catholicism was introduced to China in the 7th century AD, and its spread on a large scale occurred after the Opium War in 1840. Currently, Catholicism are approximately 15 million Catholics in China, with over 7,000 clergy and about 6,000 churches and meeting places.

The highest publicly recognized organizations of the Catholic Church in China are the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference.

Islam

Islam was founded by Muhammad in the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7th century AD. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Islam was introduced to China by Arab merchants. During the Northern Song dynasty, Islam spread to the Kashgar region of Xinjiang, and by the 16th century, it had spread throughout the entire Xinjiang region. By the Ming dynasty, ten ethnic minorities, including the Hui, Uyghur, Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tatar, Salar, Bao'an, and Dongxiang, had converted to Islam.

China has approximately 22 million Muslims in 10 different regions. There are over 35,000 mosques of various sizes throughout China; about 50,000 religious personnel, including imams and mullahs; and 10 Islamic theological seminaries.

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