Religion in China Today: Challenge and Hope

UC San Diego presents Zhuo Xinping. Zhuo, an expert on the subject of religion in China, will offer his observations on the cognitive dissonance between atheism and theism, the function of religion in society and politics, the ambiguity of religious leaders vis-a-vis Beijing, and other recent developments.

One of the biggest surprises following the the Reform and Opening era has been a rapid development of religion in China. Yet challenges remain: the cognitive dissonance between atheism and theism, the function of religion in society and politics, and the ambiguity of religious leaders vis-a-vis Beijing.

Religion in China now stands at a critical juncture. Zhuo, an expert on the subject, will offer his observations on these and other recent developments.

A reception will follow the talk.

Speaker:

Zhuo Xinping is the director of the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Science and a member of the Standing Committee of China’s National People's Congress. He holds a Ph.D. from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and his main research interests include Christian theology, Western philosophy and comparative studies of Western and Chinese cultures.

Moderator:

Richard Madsen is the director of the Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China and distinguished professor of sociology at UC San Diego. He has been called “one of the modern-day founders of the study of Chinese religion” by noted journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winner Ian Johnson, and is currently working on a book about happiness in China, which he describes as an exploration on searching for a good life in China in an age of anxiety, tapping into people’s sense of meaning.