Between religion and superstition : Buddhism and Daoism in Guangzhou, China, 1900-1937

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Journal of Religious History

Publication Date

12-1-2009

Volume

33

Issue

4

First Page

452

Last Page

471

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia

Abstract

This paper illustrates how Buddhist and Daoist monasteries in Guangzhou, with their legal religious status, situated themselves within the new concept of the modern nation-state, and how the distinction between religion and superstition affected ordinary people's religious lives. There were inherent tensions between religion and the modern nation-state, and the survival of Buddhism and Daoism was determined by their subordination to the state ideology and to political authorities’ regulation. However, the government did not regulate the form of worship in government-approved religious sites. Due to the syncretic nature of Chinese religion, the select few of the Buddhist and Daoist monasteries in Guangzhou, with government recognition as symbols of “true religions,” paradoxically served as a protective umbrella for the people to carry on with their “superstitious” practices. At the level of praxis, the line between religion and superstition was not as distinguishable as the government had envisioned.

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-9809.2009.00825.x

Print ISSN

00224227

E-ISSN

14679809

Funding Information

Hong Kong Research Grant Council for the financial support of this study (CUHK 4572/06H).

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2009 The Author. Journal compilation © 2009 Association for the Journal of Religious History

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Poon, S. W. (2009). Between religion and superstition: Buddhism and Daoism in Guangzhou, China, 1900-1937. Journal of Religious History, 33(4), 452-471. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9809.2009.00825.x

Share

COinS