Ian Johnson, "Faith in Modern China: The Lives of Those Who Seek a Place of Spirituality" Summary and Comments - A look at the reality of religious life under the Communist regime! A non-fiction book that questions what faith is all about!
I would like to introduce "Faith in Modern China: The Lives of People in Search of a Place to Rest their Souls" written by Ian Johnson and translated by Yuki Akimoto, published by Hakusuisha in 2022.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Chinese Society as Seen through Religion and Traditional Events
From repression to relaxation, to tightening, to inclusion - since Mao Zedong, the relationship between politics and religion under Communist Party rule has always been in some kind of tension. This nonfiction book unearths the roots of this tension and portrays another picture of Chinese society through the state of faith and traditional events.
Although Chinese society is mired in material greed and money worship, and traditional religious beliefs seem to have disappeared, seasonal events based on the lunar calendar and ancient customs are still alive and well. The author spent about a year and a half working with families and groups involved in these activities in order to depict how many people are turning to faith and traditional events in search of something that is missing, no matter how prosperous they may be. He observed various events and sometimes participated in meditation and breathing exercises himself. The characters come from a variety of backgrounds, including the Ni family, who run an incense gathering for worshippers at Myobongsan, the Li family, who perform Taoist rituals and divination in a rural village, and a pastor who continues his underground activities in a local city.AmazonProducts Page.
The book is divided into chapters according to the 24 solar terms, and the story unfolds three-dimensionally as the seasons change. It is a masterpiece that has received rave reviews from major international newspapers and magazines.
The book is a work that follows the situation of religion in Communist China, where it was forbidden.
The translator's afterword to this book states the following
Originally, religion was integrated into China's entire society, including the political system, and into daily life, but such traditional forms of religion were condemned as an obstacle to progress as a modern nation, and their destruction began even before the Communist Party took control of power. Attacks on places and people associated with religion intensified from the 1960s, and most places of worship, including even domestic altars, were destroyed, and clergy were expelled. By the time Mao died in 1976, religious life in public had disappeared.
Later, however, as the economy began to develop and society became relatively peaceful and stable with enough food, clothing, and shelter for the first time in several generations, people began to want to believe in something other than material things and to seek a deeper meaning to their lives, and religious life began to revive. This was not a movement driven by government policy or support, but by the voluntary actions of ordinary citizens. In this book, Johnson writes, "The revival of religious life in China is the result of these remarkable individual actions.
Johnson spent several years working with such people, attending various events and carefully depicting what they do and think. This book is a realistic work, set in contemporary China, that accompanies those who are motivated by the desire that society should have common values and be guided by something transcendent. At the same time, it raises the universal question of "how to restore solidarity and standards of value to a society that has relied on the economy as the basis for most of its decisions" (from the "Epilogue"), and makes us think about what impact "seeking heaven" like the people in this book could have on society at large and on the world. This is a book that makes us think about how the desire to "seek heaven" held by the people in this book can affect society at large and the world at large.
Hakusuisha, Ian Johnson, translated by Yuki Akimoto, Faith in Modern China: The Lives of People in Search of a Place to Rest their Souls, p. 416.
As described here, in the past, the Communist Party authorities in China used to practice severe religious repression. This religious oppression was previously discussed in this blog by Yasuyuki TakahashiThe Russian Church Under Persecution: 70 Years of Orthodoxy in an Atheistic State."The book is called.
This book also made me aware of the severe suppression of religion in the Soviet Union, and reading this book, "Faith in Modern China: The Lives of People in Search of a Place of Refuge," made me think again about the Communist Party's handling of religion.
However, this book is not about the suppression of religion in the past, but about the situation of religion in modern China, where it has been loosened. As mentioned in the above quote, in recent years, freedom of religion has been recognized in China, albeit with some restrictions "under the supervision of the authorities. This book tells us that people are regaining their faith, which was once almost lost.
What is religion in China?"
For those of us who are China's neighbors, we do not understand China as we know it.
I myself had no idea what religion this country was until I recently studied Chinese history. I could vaguely imagine Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, but I had no idea what each of these religions believed in. And when it came to modern China, all I could think of was the Communist Party, and nothing else.
It was very interesting for me to learn about the current religious situation in China.
However, as was mentioned in this book, it was very scary to know that we do not know what will happen in the future because of the tight control that the Communist authorities have been exercising in recent years.
This book will give you an eye-opening glimpse of a China we never knew existed. It is full of information because the author actually did long-term, in-depth interviews. I highly recommend this book to learn about the religious situation in modern China. Why not pick up a copy?
The above is "Ian Johnson's "Faith in Modern China" - A look at religious life under the Communist regime! A non-fiction book that asks what faith is!" The above is "Ian Johnson's Faith in Modern China"!
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