Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
Religious Policies in the PRC: A Sociopolitical History
UC Berkeley presents a talk by Fenggang Yang on the historical and political backgrounds of the religious policies of the Chinese Communist Party since 1949.
Where
Fenggang Yang, Associate Professor of Sociology, Purdue University
In this lecture, Professor Fenggang Yang of Purdue University will provide the historical and political backgrounds of the religious policies of the Chinese Communist Party and state since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. There are three distinct periods: from 1949 to 1966, the Party-state first targeted religious supply by suppressing various religions, co-opting the five major religions through establishing the “patriotic associations,” and reducing the number of religious venues; from 1966 to 1979, all religious venues were closed down, eradication measures targeted religious demand through atheist propaganda and imprisonment of staunch believers; from 1979 to the present, limited tolerance of certain religious groups is governed by increasingly strict regulations. Whereas in the material economy the PRC has undergone dramatic reforms toward a market economy, the religious policy and regulations have remained ideology-based and have had little change from the pre-reform era. In fact, the overall policy is not substantially different from that of the 1950s. However, the restrictive regulations are rendered ineffective by the economic and sociopolitical changes in the larger society, including the open-door policy that integrates China into the globalizing world. All kinds of religions have revived in the reform era.
Featured Articles
We note the passing of many prominent individuals who played some role in U.S.-China affairs, whether in politics, economics or in helping people in one place understand the other.
Events
Ying Zhu looks at new developments for Chinese and global streaming services.
David Zweig examines China's talent recruitment efforts, particularly towards those scientists and engineers who left China for further study. U.S. universities, labs and companies have long brought in talent from China. Are such people still welcome?