STATE ORGANS | THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA | MULTI-PARTY COOPERATION AND THE POLITICAL CONSULTATIVE SYSTEM | JURISDICTION | HONG KONG | MACAO | TAIWAN | RELIGION | RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Religion

In addition to the aforementioned national religious bodies, there are more than 3,000 religious bodies at the provincial and county levels. All the religious bodies and believers independently organize religious activities and conduct religious services under the protection of the Constitution and the law. Currently, there are 74 religious schools in China, such as the Chinese Institute of Buddhist Studies, the Institute of Islamic Theology, the Chinese Institute of Taoist Studies, Jinling Union Theological Seminary in Nanjing and Chinese Catholic Seminary. There are more than 10 religious publications. More than 100 million Chinese people have acknowledged religious beliefs. Professional religious personnel number about 300,000, of whom approximately 17,000 are elected deputies to the people's congresses and members of CPPCC committees at different levels. Like deputies and members from other circles, they participate in the discussions of State affairs and enjoy equal democratic rights in political terms.

So far, the number of Chinese Protestants has exceeded 10 million. They have 12,000 churches and 25,000 sites for religious activities. Pastors and other staff number 18,000.

Chinese Catholics have 115 dioceses, 70 bishops, and more than 1,100 priests, 1,200 nuns, 4 million followers and 4,000 clerics. There are close to 5,000 churches open to the public throughout the country, together with 36 monasteries with more than 1,900 friars. Since 1981, consecration was held for more than 900 priests. There are also 50-plus convents in the country, and more than 1,000 nuns have expressed their preliminary desire to serve God. Influential Catholic churches in China include St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Beijing, the Church of St. Michael in Qingdao, the Church of St. Joseph (Xikai Cathedral) in Tianjin, the Hongjialou Church in Jinan and the Sheshan Church in Shanghai. The Chinese Catholic Church has its own publishing houses, which have printed more than 3 million copies of The Bible and other church publications. The Chinese Catholic Bishops College and the Patriotic Association of Catholic Church in China jointly publish a magazine entitled Chinese Catholicism.

There are more than 13,000 Buddhist temples in China, with approximately 200,000 monks. Believers in Tibetan Buddhism from various ethnic groups total around 7 million. Currently, there are approximately 120,000 lamas and nuns, 1,700 Living Buddhas and 3,000 monasteries.

With regard to Taoism, about 1,500 Taoist temples are now open to the public and there are more than 25,000 Taoist priests and nuns.

Believers in Islam from various ethnic groups total around 18 million. There are more than 40,000 imams and other clerics, and more than 30,000 mosques.

The CPC and the Chinese Government have consistently attached importance to the religious work. General Secretary Jiang Zemin has made a masterly presentation of the Party's fundamental concepts and policies on religion in the socialist period. This encompasses three points, namely, fully and correctly implementing the Party's religious policies; strengthening administration of religious affairs according to law; and actively guiding religions to adapt to the socialist society.

Chinese citizens are not only entitled to the right to the freedom of religious belief but also must perform the duties prescribed by the Constitution and the law. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China explicitly stipulates: “No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the State.” For those who make use of religion to engage in illegal activities, the Chinese Government will punish them according to law, regardless of whether they are religious believers or not. Religious believers who have violated the law will be penalized according to law like any other citizen who has violated the law.  

In the big multi-ethnic family of China, many ethnic minorities have their religions. Some ethnic minorities collectively believe in a certain religion. For instance, the Tibetans believe in Tibetan Buddhism. In accordance with the stipulation in the Constitution on citizens’ freedom of religious belief, the Chinese Government has made specific policies to respect and protect the freedom of religious belief of ethnic minorities and safeguard all normal religious activities of ethnic minority citizens. In China, all their normal religious activities are under the protection of law.

Tibetan Buddhism has a history of over 1,300 years. It has exerted profound influence on the social life of Tibetan and some other ethnic minorities. Since 1951, Tibetan and other minority ethnic groups have enjoyed full freedom of religious belief. Since the 1980s, the Central Government has allocated more than 300 million yuan of special funds to Tibet for the maintenance and renovation of well-known monasteries. With a completely new look, renovated monasteries have attracted an unprecedented number of believers as well as tourists from home and abroad. Incomplete statistics show that the number of believers and tourists going to Jokhang Monastery for worship and sightseeing exceeds 1 million a year. The State has also allocated special funds to support Buddhist circles in compiling and publishing important Tibetan Buddhist classics such as the Tripitaka. Besides, the State has helped to set up the Senior Tibetan Buddhist College of China in Beijing and the Tibet Buddhist Theological Institute in Lhasa.

Currently, there are more than 1,700 sites for Buddhist activities in Tibet, with more than 46,000 monks and nuns. Almost all believers have a small tabernacle or a niche for the statue of Buddha in their home.

The incarnation of Living Buddha is the unique way of transmission in Tibetan Buddhism, which is acknowledged and respected by the Central Government. In 1995, the 11th Bainqen Lama ascended the holy throne subsequent to the seeking and determination of the reincarnated soul boy of the 10th Bainqen through the method of drawing lots from the golden urn and with the approval of the State Council. All these were strictly in accordance with the religious rituals and historical customs.

The Party and Government respect and protect the religious belief and ethnic customs of Muslims. There are nine institutes of Islamic theology throughout the country. Since the 1980s, more than 40,000 Chinese Muslims have been to Mecca on a pilgrimage. In Xinjiang, there are approximately 23,000 mosques with 29,000 clerics, meeting the needs of believers.

Chinese religions implement the policy of independence and self-governance. China opposes any foreign forces from controlling and interfering in the internal affairs of Chinese religions so as to ensure that Chinese citizens genuinely enjoy the right to the freedom of religious belief.

The Chinese Government actively supports domestic religious bodies and religious personnel to conduct friendly exchanges with foreign religious bodies and religious personnel on the basis of the principle of independence and self-governance, as well as complete equality and mutual respect. The international ties of the religious circles have been viewed as part of the exchanges between the Chinese people and other peoples in the world. China's religious bodies and organizations have already joined global religious organizations including the World Fellowship of Buddhists, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the World Conference on Religion and Peace, the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace and the World Federation of Christians.

On August 21, 2000, a delegation composed of seven leaders from China's five major religions visited the United States and attended the UN Millenium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held by the United Nations August 28-31. That marked the first gathering of world religious leaders in human history. It was also the first time that leaders of five major religions went for an overseas visit in a delegation.

The Chinese delegation conducted wide contacts with personages of the American religious circles as well as scholars and overseas Chinese in Los Angles and Washington.

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