Social and Cultural Changes - Religion

Question 1

Religion in 1949

Answer 1

• Christianity spread across China from western missionaries
• 3 million Catholics and 1 million Protestants in China before 1949
• Islam popular in Xinjiang
• Ceremonies and festivals to honour Confucius

Question 2

Communist attitudes to religion

Answer 2

• CCP denounced religious attitudes as feudal superstitions
• Confucianism associated with old imperial system
• Christianity attacked as derived from ‘western imperialists’
• Islamic mullahs and Buddhist lamas seen as a rival to communist rule

Question 3

Confucianism

Answer 3

• CPC marked Confucian ideas as ‘old culture’
• all public ceremonies honouring him were ended in 1949
• during cultural rev attack on Confucianism became violent
• association with Confucianism was politically dangerous - purging of Liu Shaoqi

Question 4

Ancestor worship

Answer 4

• for Mao represented old fashioned thoughts
• communists condemned traditions like Chinese new year

Question 5

Replacing old traditions - national Memorial Day

Answer 5

• new communist festival announced to take place of old Qingming festival
• by 1966, Qingming festival become national Memorial Day
• focused on celebrating those who died during liberation

Question 6

How aggressive was Mao’s early religious policy

Answer 6

• initially less militant
• adopted a careful approach to major religions
• CCP initially tried to win over and control leaders of major religions
• party invited representatives to attend a conference - included Protestants, Buddhists and Muslims
• aimed to gain support and then convince them to support purging of non communists

Question 7

Christianity

Answer 7

• church representative of western ideas
• Jan 1954, RAD expanded to become religious affairs bureau
• aimed to force out Christian missionaries, coerce Christian’s to cut ties with foreign countries and take over church run schools

Question 8

Protestant church

Answer 8

•‘Patriotic Church Movement’
• leaders sought to convince congregations to be loyal to China and the communist party
• ‘Three-self’ principle - in reality meant full obedience to the government
• leaders told to drive out missionaries and refuse foreign aid
• April 1952, fewer than 100 missionaries left

Question 9

Catholic Church

Answer 9

• Vatican refused to accept ‘Patriotic Church’
• party expelled Vatican representative
• propaganda campaign against Catholicism created
• Shanghai, exhibition created to demonstrate ‘Catholic espionage activities’
• Nov 1953, 364 missionaries left

Question 10

Islam

Answer 10

• Mosques converted into halls for struggle meetings
• schools converted into barns for livestock
• armed rebellions against communists were common
• over a thousand killed in Gansu
• Islamic association of China set up to promote cooperation

Question 11

Xinjiang

Answer 11

• Uighur’s welcomed peaceful liberation by the PLA
• new regime compelled Muslim children to attend government schools
• Marxism not the Quran on the curriculum
• Imam’s authority removed and forced to reform
• Mosque land redistributed to the poor
• those who didn’t comply sent to laogai
• mass migration of Han Chinese

Question 12

Impact of the cultural revolution in Xinjiang

Answer 12

• attacks on mosques
• religious leaders tortured, forced to write self denunciations and swear loyalty to regime
• forced to raise and eat pigs

Question 13

Impact of the cultural revolution in Xinjiang

Answer 13

• attacks on mosques
• religious leaders tortured, forced to write self denunciations and swear loyalty to regime
• forced to raise and eat pigs

Question 14

Buddhism

Answer 14

• monks forced to work or sent to military academies
• some monks denounced as counter revolutionaries and killed at struggle meetings
• during ‘Resist America, Aid Korea’ campaign ancient temples converted into barracks, prisons, schools and hospitals
• Buddhist land redistributed by the 1950 agrarian reform law

Question 15

Buddhism in Tibet

Answer 15

• PLA invaded Tibet during ‘reunification campaign’ 1950
• met with large resistance
• Tibet targeted during anti rightist campaign of 1958
• great leap forward - monks turned into physical labourers and forced into communes
• Lamas forced to work worst quality land, many starved
• Dalai Lama smuggled to safety in India

Question 16

Impact of cultural revolution on Buddhism

Answer 16

• Buddhism denounced as one of ‘four olds’
• monasteries burned, religious relics destroyed
• monks sent to laogai
• lamas forced into labour
• entire generation of monks, nuns and Buddhist followers wiped out