Chinese religions
- Origin
- for over 3,000 years, China
- Sacred text
- Daodejing, Analects of Confucius
- Followers today
- hundreds of millions, exact number unclear
Ancestor worship, Daoism, Confucianism and folk belief. Many people combine them with Buddhism.
Origin
Chinese religions grew over more than 3,000 years. At the beginning stood ancestor worship and the veneration of Heaven. Later came Daoism (Laozi) and Confucianism (Confucius, 6th century BC).
Beliefs and practice
Important are respect for ancestors, harmony with nature (the Dao), a sense of duty in family and society, and folk gods and temple festivals. Many Chinese combine these traditions with Buddhism.
Spread
The influence reached Korea, Japan and Vietnam. With emigrants, temples and customs came to the whole world.
Today
How many people belong is hard to say because the boundaries are fluid. It is probably hundreds of millions. The Chinese state is officially atheist.
Good to know
- Chinese New Year is also a festival of ancestors.
- Yin and yang describe opposite, complementary forces.
- Confucius taught about 2,500 years ago.
Figures are rough estimates, rounded, based on self-reported survey data.
▶ See it on the map