Transcript
Dr. Bush: We have an interesting program this afternoon. Religion in China is a subject that I take a special interest in, not only because my father wrote a book on religion in Communist China 35 years ago, but also because I think that the revival of religion, which occurred in China after 1979, is one of the most interesting and moving manifestations of the power of religious faith that I know of, so when Carol Hamrin, a friend and former colleague, came to me with a suggestion that we work together to convene today's program, I leapt at the opportunity. Thank you very much, Carol, for making this possible.
We are really pleased to welcome two scholars of religion from China, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Professor Liu Peng, who's a senior research fellow at the Institute of American Studies at CASS, and Professor Jin Ze, who's deputy director of the Institute of World Religions at CASS. Professor Liu is going to talk about changing Chinese attitudes towards religion and culture, a comparative perspective. Professor Jin will talk about issues regarding folk faith in China today. Dr. Hamrin will make some comments about the new regulations on religion recently issued by China's State Council, and we will end with a question and answer session.
Dr. Hamrin: We had hoped this forum could introduce some topics that are not normally discussed or understood in the U.S., including popular attitudes, not just government attitudes, toward religion and then folk faith. We also had invited a speaker from the Central University of National Minorities to talk about ethnic and religious identities, but unfortunately, she joined the growing number of victims of our tight visa standards, so she wasn't able to make it at the last minute, and we regret that.
I thought I would just fill in with a few comments on religion as an aspect of civil society. In recent years I focused my own research and work on the development of the nonprofit sector and civil society in China, so I thought I'd make a few comments about the new religious regulations from that perspective for our discussion.
Changing Chinese Attitudes Toward Religion and Culture: A Comparative Perspective
Liu Peng
Challenges and Choices Facing Folk Faith in China
Jin Ze
New State Regulations on Religion: The Bargaining Begins
Carol Lee Hamrin
Select Questions and Answers