Blog Entries

The Elusive Path to Religious Freedom

International human rights lawyer Knox Thames lays out a vision for how governments, legislatures, NGOs, and religious leaders can work together to combat religious persecution globally.

Editorials

Whose Zhongguohua Is It Anyway?

Five Voices on Contemporary Sinicization Debates

Developing Chinese religions is not a socio-cultural or religious concern but one of international relations and national security.

Lead Article

What Is the Significance of the “Sinicization of Christianity”?

—A Perspective from Religious Studies

Christianity has endured over 1,300 years of history in China, weathering many challenges and undergoing a long course of “assimilation.”

Supporting Article

The Indigenization and Zhongguohua of Christianity

Can Zhongguohua be equated with the notion of indigenization? An attempt to draw a comparison is pursued through the lens of three distinctive dimensions.

Supporting Article

Countering Infiltration and Going Global

The Dual Strategy of the Sinicization of Christianity

In recent years, the approach to religious affairs has shifted toward the “Sinicization of Christianity.” This strategy is rooted in two key objectives: “countering infiltration” and “going global.”

Supporting Article

Faith Under Party Rule

The Sinicization of Religion in China

Sinicization is the UFWD’s agenda for Chinese religious associations. All religions are to be Sinicized, even Taoism. But the challenge of bringing “foreign religions” like Christianity and Islam into the Party’s agenda requires increased effort.

Supporting Article

How Zhongguohua Was Adopted as a Path in China’s Current Religious Policy

Xi’s directive to align all religions with Zhongguohua is not only rooted in academic and institutional history but is also deeply embedded in the traditions of the official Protestant church.

Book Reviews

On Rhetorics and Lived Religion

A Review of “The Sinicization of Chinese Religions: From Above and Below”

The work is a must-read for anyone concerned with the direction of Chinese religions and China’s religious policy.

ChinaSource Perspective

What’s in a Name?

Sinicization, Chinafication, or Zhongguohua? Defining the term in question goes to the heart of understanding China’s current policy and its effect upon religious believers.

Resource Corner

Key Scholarly Works on the Sinicization of Christianity in China

Here are some sources that may interest ChinaSource readers concerned with religious life and religious policy in contemporary China, with a thematic focus on Protestant Christianity.