Initially, since the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China, members of its government belonged to atheists. Atheism peaked in 1966, the time of the Cultural Revolution: radical youth destroyed temples and tried in every possible way to eradicate religion. The situation softened in the 70s, and religious freedom was introduced, which continues to this day. A fifth of the world's population lives in China, so it is logical that far from one religious movement is developed here.
More than half of the inhabitants of modern China consider themselves atheists - an obvious result of the Cultural Revolution. However, the real atheists - those who do not believe in any religion, do not celebrate religious holidays and do not observe customs, include only 15% of the population. For most residents, especially those living on the mainland, religion occupies a significant place in life.
In 1978, the Constitution of the PRC was adopted, which is relevant to this day. Its 36th article states that every citizen has the right to freedom of religion. At the same time, begin to rebuild the destroyed temples, primarily Buddhist and Taoist, this emphasizes which religions are dominant in China. However, one should not forget that along with Buddhism and Taoism, other religions are also developed in the PRC: Confucianism, Islam, Christianity, including Catholicism.
Over the past 20 years, Catholicism has been actively penetrating into China - now there are more than 5 million Catholics. During this period, the Bible in Chinese was released, its circulation amounted to 3 million books.
Buddhism in China
Buddhism came to China in the 1st century, during the reign of the Han Dynasty. At first, this religion was alien to the locals, but over time it borrowed some ideas of Chinese philosophy and was firmly rooted in China by the 9th century. If we talk about which of the religions in China is now the most popular, then this is certainly Buddhism. More than 30% of the population holds the Buddhist faith, and this figure is constantly growing.
Buddhism is considered the main religion in China. Over time, the number of not only followers, but also the attention of society increases. Thousands of temples, monasteries and schools of a Buddhist orientation have been built in the country, all of them are united in the Buddhist Association of China.
Khan Buddhism is one of the largest religious movements in the world. In China, 8, 400 temples have been built, in which more than 50, 000 monks adhere to Khan Buddhism.
