Panel 34: The Business of Contemporary Chinese Religion

Chair: Xueying Wang, University of Notre Dame

Panelists

Lanfu Yang, University of Iowa, “Beyond Stereotypes: On Commercialization of Buddhist Temples in Contemporary China”

One phenomenon unique to contemporary China is the requirement of an entrance fee when visiting most Buddhist temples. This is just one of the many signs of the rampant commercialization of religious sites in China. Many, including the central government, have criticized this reality as a result of the moral degeneration of not only religious professionals but society as a whole. In 2017, twelve governmental agencies, including the Bureau of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, jointly drafted and published a declaration titled “Several Opinions Regarding the Next Step of Managing and Inhibiting the Problem of the Commercialization of Buddhism and Daoism” to address such a phenomenon.

In this paper, through an interdisciplinary methodology combining historiography, document analysis, and participant observation, I aim to investigate and elucidate the political, social, and historical factors that contributed to the origin and development of the commercialization of Buddhist temples in China, especially in the context of tourism. I contend that the increase in commercial activities in temples cannot be simply blamed on monastics. Rather, a variety of interrelated factors, such as state-building projects, long-standing religious traditions, and cadre promotion mechanisms, have shaped and will continue to shape the current state of temple commercialization and touristification.

By examining the historical emergence and development of the commercialization of Buddhist temples, I hope to advance knowledge of the complex relationship between state and religion in modern-day China.

Xianghong Feng, Eastern Michigan University, “‘Embrace Buddha’s Feet and Pray for Help Only When in Trouble’: Consuming Everyday Religion in the Central South China”

With official attitude toward religion gradually loosening in China over the past several decades, China has seen a resurgence of ritual and religious practices, shifting from seemingly being “Godless” to a landscape of undoubtedly vibrant religious life. Through a case study of Shaoyang, a prefecture-level city in southwestern Hunan province of China, this paper offers a localized micro-level perspective through participant observation and interviews. It explores what religion means in the everyday life of local residents, and how broader processes of socioeconomic transformation have shaped their ritual life. As an empirical study rooted in ethnography, this paper investigates the causes and consequences of religious change from the perspecIve of religious markets. It argues that market transition, hyper competition in education, the popularity of social media, as well as the state control, may have led to China’s ongoing “religious fervor”, which may contribute to the commercialization of religious pracIces in contemporary China.