Chinese Religion

The local major religions in China are Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Although most Chinese people don’t have a strong religious inclination, they do have deep faith in Confucianism and Taoism. In China, Confucianism is a school of philosophy rather than a religion. In modern China, many Chinese people are influenced by the western religions such as Islam, Christianity.  

Confucianism is regarded as the most traditional and classical Chinese culture. Created in Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasty, Confucianism has an important influence on the lone feudal society. Even the modern culture of China is influenced by Confucianism in many aspects. Its creator, Confucius, was a great thinker, educationist and politician. During his life, Confucius pursued truth, kindness and perfection. He is regarded as one of the most influential person in history of China.

With a history of more than 1,700 years, Taoism is a native Chinese religion. Lao Zi is the creator of Taoism. He was also a great thinker in ancient China. In Lao Zi’s thought, one can do everything he wants if he conforms to the natural rules.

Since being introduced into China from India in Han Dynasty, Buddhism has been regarded as one of the most important religion in China. Buddhism can be divided into three communities according to the language in China. They are Mandarin, Tibetan and Bali. Most of the Mandarin Buddhist believers are Han Chinese. The Tibetan Buddhists are including Tibetan, Mongolian, Yugur, Lhoba, Moinba and Tujia people. Most Bali Buddhists are from Dai and Bulang ethnic groups.