DOCSLIB.ORG

Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong : a Case Study of Its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Title Adherents

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong : a Case Study of Its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Title Adherents Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong : A Case Study of its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Title Adherents Author(s) NG, Ka Shing Citation Journal of the Graduate school of Letters, 9, 41-53 Issue Date 2014-03 Doc URL http://hdl.handle.net/2115/54958 Type bulletin (article) File Information 03_KaShingNG.pdf Instructions for use Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers : HUSCAP Journal oftheGraduateSchool ofLetters,Hokkaido University Vol.9;pp.41-53,March 2014 41 Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong: A Case Studyof its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Adherents Ka Shing NG Abstract:Through extensivefieldwork in aYiguan Dao BuddhaHalllocatedinHong Kong,this paper attempts to study the organizational characteristics of this Chinese religion and the conversion experiencesofitsadherents. It first discussesthedevelopmental historyand features of this religion through textual analysis and interview. Drawing insights from Lofland and Stark’s model ofconversion (1965), it attempts to studyhow conversion takes place in Yiguan Dao through analyzing the narratives of twelve Yiguan Dao practitioners in Hong Kong. It suggests a five-stage model to explain their conversion to Yiguan Dao that consists of (1) predisposing personal conditions;(2) developing social ties with Dao practitioners;(3) receiving Dao;(4)cultivating Dao and (5)promoting Dao. In brief,socialnetworksplayasignificantrole in theconversion process as it often takes places within family, among friends, colleagues, and neighbors. (Received on October 28,2013) Introduction Yiguan Dao 一貫道 (also known as Tian Dao天道,I-Kuan Dao or theWayofUnity) was founded in 1905byLiu Qingxu in mainland China,but itcan traceitsorigin doctrinallyto Luo Sect(15th century)and organizationallyto “Prior-to-heaven Dao”(18th century). Itwasperceived asacultatthispointoftime. BasedondatafromChineseprovincialgovernments,Linestimated that there were at least 1,500,000 members in the 1940s in Mainland China with the largest membership in Shanxi province(421,375)(Lin 2007:270). When theChineseCommunistParty (CCP)cameinto powerin 1949,Yiguan Dao suffered ruthlesssuppression bythegovernmentand manyofitsmastersand practitionersfled to Taiwan and Hong Kong,placesthatwerebeyond the control ofthe CCP at that time. After surviving a similar suppression bythe Kuomintang in Taiwan, Yiguan Dao was officially recognized by the government in 1987. Hong Kong and Taiwan arethen known asstrongholdsforthespread ofYiguan Dao afteritseradication on the Mainland bytheCommunist regime. Nowadays,it has established overseas branches in Amer- ica,Canada, South Asia and Europe and succeeded in attracting local members beyond ethnic ◯C 2014 bytheGraduateSchool ofLetters,Hokkaido University Ka Shing NG:ngkashing＠let.hokudai.ac.jp 42 Ka Shing NG Chinese. Thereason forchoosing Yiguan Dao asacasestudyistwo-fold. Firstly,although Yiguan Dao is a fast-growing religion in Chinese communities and has attracted scholarlyattention in Taiwan (e.g.Jordan & Overmyer1986;Lu 2008;2011)and Malaysia(Soo 1997),thereislittleor inadequatestudieson itsdevelopmentin Hong Kong (Soo 1997:24). Thispapercan shed some lights on the characteristics of this religion and therebyenrich the sociological studies of new religion in contemporaryHong Kong. Secondly, it is interesting to see how conversion takes placein Chinesereligions,and howitmaydifferfromtheprocessessuggested in theLofland and Stark’s model (1965) derived from thestudyofa Western religion (i.e.Unification Church). M ethodology In September2012and March 2013,I conducted fieldwork in aYiguan Dao BuddhaHallin Hong Kong for myPh.D.thesis. I focused on a group ofbelievers in Bao Guan Buddha Hall 寶光佛堂,which is located in a factoryestate in Kwan Fong, New Territories (Figure1). This Buddha hall is chosen for a number ofreasons. Firstly,Bao Guan Buddha Hall belongs to Ji Chu Division 基礎組, which is one of the most well-established divisions among the eighteen divisions of Yiguan Dao and has the most branches in Hong Kong. Focusing on this group enablesmeto understand howatypicalBuddhahallofYiguan Dao hasoperated in Hong Kong. Second,thefactthatBao Guan BuddhaHallhasattracted membersofvarioussocialbackgrounds thatsuitsmyinterestindoing aqualitativeanalysisofconversionexperiencesofadherentscoming from different backgrounds. Figure1. Passing through the corridor filled with chairs is the entrance of the Buddha Hall In thispaper,thehistoryofYiguan Dao in Hong Kong isexamined mainlythrough theoral histories of members. Besides, along with participant observation (attending Dao lessons and vegetarian banquets and taking part in religious rites regularly), data are gathered through semi-structural interviews with members. In particular,twelveactivemembers wereselected on Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong 43 the basis of Snow and Machalek’s identification scheme (1984:172)1 for in-depth interview to study their conversion experiences. The results are compared with Lofland-Stark’s model of conversion attheendofthispaper. Appendix1summarizesthedetailsoftwelveinformants. In termsoflimitation,narrativeanalysisbasedoninterviewsoftwelvecurrentYiguanDaoadherents is qualitativein nature. Thereforeit mayrepresent theideas ofsomemembers and should not beviewed as thegeneral pictureoftheorganization. Doctrines of Yiguan Dao Yiguan Dao believes that all creatures in this world are created bythe Eternal Venerable Mother(Wusheng Laomu 無生老母)and will return to thisorigin ifonescan find theright way (Dao) through “cultivating Dao”(xiudao 修道). The organization rejects the label “religion” and regardsitselfmerelyasagroup ofpeopleknown as“Dao cultivator”道親 who practiceDao and pursuethesaving truths. According to Yiguan Dao’sofficial history,thetruthsoriginated fromWusheng Laomu and wereconsecutivelyinherited by68Saintsuntiltoday(Song 2011:101- 4). Prominent figuresin theDao-orthodoxyincludePangu,Laozi,Confucius,and Shakumuni. Theorganization claims that thesaving truths ofmankind arenot onlyfound in theclassics of Chinesereligionsand philosophies(Confucianismand Taoism)butalso in theholyscripturesof differentworld religions(Buddhism,Christianity,and Islam). Therefore,itisimportantforDao cultivators to enhancetheir knowledgeoftheseclassics. Yiguan Dao promotes a strict vegetarian diet. To cultivateDao and freeoneselffrom the cycleofreincarnation,onemust stop killing (eating meat)and changeto avegetarian diet. The religion also putsparticularaccenton thepromotion ofgu-li (古禮),asetoftraditionaletiquettes invented in ancient China.2 Forinstance,disciplesarerequired to bowto theirmaster,wearrobe insideBuddhahall,talk and act with propermanner,and sit separatelyformen and women,etc. All Yiguan Dao members acquirethesan-bao 三寶 (English:three treasures) at the end of initiation rite,which arebelieved to beholypowerrendered byEternalmother. TheyareXuan Guan 玄關 (a point on our facewherethesoul enters our physical body),Wu-zi-zhen-jing 無字 真經 (sutra without words) and He Tong 合同 (a symbolicseal or mudra) (Chen 2008:29). 1 Theyarguethatconversion occurswhen oneexperiencesfourstagesknown as(1)biographical reconstruction, (2)theadoption of a master attribution scheme,(3)a suspension of analogical reasoning,and(4)embracement of the convert role. 2 The purpose ofwhich is to maintain Chinese family ethics and social harmony through the promotion of proper standards (usuallyderived from Confucianism) ofmoral principle,behavior,and speech.Adopting the spiritsofgu-li and applying theminto contemporarysociety,Yiguan Dao’sdoctrinesandpracticesemphasizethe unbreakablerelation between masterand disciples,familyethnics,seniority,genderdifferences,properoutlook and speech,and respect to others. 44 Ka Shing NG Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong When theChineseCommunist Partycameinto powerin 1949,Yiguan Dao wascriticised as “reactionarycults”(fandong huidaomen) bythe Maoist government and became the target of suppression togetherwith otherpopularreligions(Soo 1997:23). Millionsofordinarybelievers wereforced to discard their faith,and thosewho werereluctant to do so wereput into jail and somewereeven executed (Lu 2008:40-1). SomeleaderswereabletoescapetoHong Kong where religiousfreedomwasguaranteed bythecolonialgovernment. Upon theirarrivaltothecity,due to the lack of human and financial resources, re-establishing the organization was not an easy task. Some were so poor that theycould not even feed themselves. Some lived together in a smallflatto reduceliving expensesand madesmallhandicraftlikeplasticflowersto earn aliving. Yearslatertheywereabletosaveenoughmoneyandstartedtobuyorrentnewproperties(usually flatswith rooftops)big enough forreligiousactivitiesand group worships. During the1950s,the religion retained a low public profile (Soo 1997:1). According to I-Kuan Dao Headquarters (1988:63),it had morethan 300 Buddha Hall and morethan 50,000 membersin Hong Kong in thelate1980s. When July1st 1997neared Hong Kong,theorganization had to prepareitselfunderthenew government. Given CCP’s past suppressions on Yiguan Dao,manymasters who escaped from the Mainland decided to leave Hong Kong and focused their missions in overseas Chinese communitiessuch asthosein America,Canada,and Australia. Asaresult,thenumberofDao initiators in Hong Kong has dropped a lot and some Buddha halls were forced to close down. Theorganization also adopted alowfileapproach somefewyearsbeforeand after1997,such as reducing theirrecruitmenteffortsoreven temporarilyclosing theholyaltar,making itimpossible to conduct initiation rite. It isonlyuntil 2000when
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Christianity and the Taiwanese Religious Landscape
    129 Christianity and the Taiwanese religious landscape Benoit Vermander HRISTIANS IN TAlWAN ACCOUNT FOR LESS than 5 per cent of the C population. The same is true of Mainland China. However, in Taiwan as in the Mainland, the cultural influence of Christianity goes far beyond the limits of the institutional churches. The appeal of Christian values and concepts goes with westernization, and this also explains the difficulties encountered when trying to inculturate the Gospel. Liturgy, theological thinking and spiritual methods still directly derive from the westem mould. Christianity as a whole somehow contributes to shape modern Chinese culture, but Chinese culture is still hardly relevant for defining the specificity and the future of the Chinese Christian churches. However, some Christians are now conscious that their faith will become a living reality in today's China only if Christian communities interact with other cultural and religious communities, learning to appreciate their experience and concerns while sharing with them what makes the core of their life. For Christianity, increased exchanges are the road towards spiritual renewal as well as towards social relevance. In the Chinese world, the tiny numbers make the Christians always at risk of becoming mere marginals. When they dare to situate their faith within the wealth of spiritual experiences encountered in the Chinese context, these 'marginals' may indeed fulfil a prophetic mission. What is the religious landscape in which Chinese Christians have first to situate themselves? I intend to concentrate here on religions in Taiwan today. Although the political and social situation in Taiwan is altogether very different from the one encountered in Mainland China, both countries' religious contexts present more similarities than seems to be the case at first glance.
    [Show full text]
  • China Table of Contents • Dozens Of
    Table of Contents Dozens of Bitter Winter Reporters arrested Early Rain pastor accused of inciting subversion Special weekly FORB Newsletter, 21 December 2018 Woman dies after torture during interrogation by Chinese authorities Yu Baorong, a Christian from The Church of Almighty God brutally tortured by Chinese Communist Police Special weekly FORB newsletter, 14 December 2018 ‘I must denounce this wickedness openly’ – detained Chinese pastor Repression of Christian church intensifies China cracks down on Christians -- a new era of religious persecution has arrived Legislative landmark: US Congress passes Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act Yingye’er re-education camp managed like prison (video) 100 church attendees in custody, attacks ongoing Special Weekly FORB Newsletter, 7 December 2018 Government unleashes new round of religious persecution Woman tortured to death by Chinese police: the case of Huang Guorong Woman driven to suicide by the Chinese Communist Government’s long- term harassment: the case of Wang Hongli Special weekly FORB newsletter, 30 November 2018 Uyghurs in China: Position of EU High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini Monetary reward offered for Muslim man’s recapture CCP calls for crackdown against whistleblowers and media Xinjiang authorities sentence Uyghur philanthropist to death for unsanctioned Hajj House church raided twice for standing up to authorities CCTV cameras installed in washrooms at church Burial site forcibly excavated for being “unattractive” (videos) 130 Christians detained
    [Show full text]
  • The Chinese Face of Jesus Christ
    MONUMENTA SERICA MONOGRAPH SERIES _________________________________L/3b________________________________ The Chinese Face of Jesus Christ Volume 3b Edited by ROMAN MALEK, S.V.D. Jointly published by Institut Monumenta Serica and China-Zentrum Sankt Augustin Sumptibus Societatis Verbi Divini (S.V.D.) Die Deutsche Bibliothek – CIP Cataloguing-in-Publication-Data A catalogue record for this publication is available from Die Deutsche Bibliothek. For further information, see: http://dnb.ddb.de Sankt Augustin – Nettetal 2007 Copy editors: KATHARINA FEITH, BARBARA HOSTER, ROMAN MALEK Cover and layout: ROMAN MALEK Printed by: DRUCKEREI FRANZ SCHMITT, Siegburg Copyright: INSTITUT MONUMENTA SERICA Arnold-Janssen-Str. 20 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany Fax: +49-2241-237486 E-mail: [email protected] www.monumenta-serica.de Distribution: STEYLER VERLAG Postfach 2460, 41311 Nettetal, Germany Fax: +49-2157-120222 E-mail: [email protected] www.monumenta-serica.de ISBN 978-3-8050-0542-5 ISSN 0179-261X JESUS IN CHINESE POPULAR SECTS PHILIP CLART Contents 1. Introduction..................................... .................. 1315 2. Jesus in the Daoyuan............................................ 1316 3. Jesus in the Yiguandao.......................................... 1320 a. Jesus in the Early History of the Sect..................... 1320 b. Post-War Developments..................................... 1325 4. Conclusion........................................................ 1331 Bibliography..........................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese Redemptive Societies and Salvationist Religion: Historical
    Redemptive Societies: Historical Phenomenon or Sociological Category? Chinese Redemptive Societies and Salvationist Religion: Historical Phenomenon or Sociological Category? David A. Palmer Assistant Professor University of Hong Kong Dept. of Sociology and Centre for Anthropological Research1 PRE-PUBLICATION VERSION Published in Journal of Chinese Theatre, Ritual and Folklore/ Minsu Quyi 172 (2011), pp. 21-72. Abstract This paper outlines a conceptual framework for research on Chinese redemptive societies and salvationist religion. I begin with a review of past scholarship on Republican-era salvationist movements and their contemporary communities, comparing their treatment in three bodies of scholarly literature dealing with the history and scriptures of “sectarianism” in the late imperial era, the history of “secret societies” of the republican period, and the ethnography of “popular religion” in the contemporary Chinese world. I then assess Prasenjit Duara’s formulation of “redemptive societies” as a label for a constellation of religious groups active in the republican period, and, after comparing the characteristics of the main groups in question (such as the Tongshanshe, Daoyuan, Yiguandao and others), argue that an anaytical distinction needs to be made between “salvationist movements” as a sociological category, which have appeared throughout Chinese history and until today, and redemptive societies as one historical instance of a wave of salvationist movements, which appeared in the republican period and bear the imprint of the socio-cultural conditions and concerns of that period. Finally, I discuss issues for future research and the significance of redemptive societies in the social, political and intellectual history of modern China, and in the modern history of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    CHAPTER 1 Introduction It was in the chilly morning of 3 March 2004, hundreds of men and women nervously waited in a magnificent ballroom. Outside the building, more than ten thousand men and women patiently lined up in prepara- tion to welcome their distinguished guests. When presidential candidate Lian Zhang and vice presidential candidate James Song arrived, the crowd’s emotion exploded with thundering applause and repeated shouts of: “Lian-Song, Dongswan!” (which means “winning the election” in Tai- wanese dialect.) Joyful tears ran down on their faces like waterfalls. The solemn host rose and made an inspiring welcome speech. He vehemently accused President Chen Shui-bian for his miserable economic perfor- mance, disasterous social policies, acrimonious ethnic maneuvers, viola- tions of religious rights, sabbotage of democracy, and provocation of war in the Taiwan Straits. Fists clenched, he spoke loudly and with exaggerated body language. Bitterness, anger, and frustration permeated the air and the crowd’s mind. “Only Lian Zhang can save us from these political, social, and economic disasters,” he emphatically concluded. During his speech, the crowd echoed every sentence the host said with deafening applause and “Lian-Song, Dongswan.”1 This might have been any of the ordinary campaign gatherings dur- ing an ordinary election in an ordinary democracy. But this campaign was anything but ordinary. The hall was not at the headquarters of any politi- cal party but at the center of a newly constructed Buddhist temple worth US$ 300 million. The emotional men and women were not devoted party workers or representatives, but monks, nuns, and sincere believers of the otherwise tranquil temple.
    [Show full text]
  • Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Ancestors, Masters: Some Remarks on the Politico-Religious in China Today Joël Thoraval
    Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Ancestors, Masters: Some Remarks on the Politico-Religious in China Today Joël Thoraval To cite this version: Joël Thoraval. Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Ancestors, Masters: Some Remarks on the Politico-Religious in China Today. 2016. halshs-01374321 HAL Id: halshs-01374321 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01374321 Preprint submitted on 3 Oct 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. C.C.J. Occasional Papers n°5 ABSTRACT The starting point of this study is the perspective offered September 2016 by Emilio Gentile on modern “politics as religion”. This vantage point is briefly illustrated by the case of contemporary “popular Confucianism”. However, in order to show the extent to which the Chinese religious situation does not lend itself readily to such an approach, the author considers a “popular” cult that reemerged in China after Maoism, namely, the widespread veneration of five entities: Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Ancestors, Masters (tian, di, jun, qin, shi). Comparing modern interpretations (whether political,
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies
    RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN ASIA Kuo (ed.) Kuo Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Edited by Cheng-tian Kuo Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Religion and Society in Asia The Religion and Society in Asia series presents state-of-the-art cross-disciplinary academic research on colonial, postcolonial and contemporary entanglements between the socio-political and the religious, including the politics of religion, throughout Asian societies. It thus explores how tenets of faith, ritual practices and religious authorities directly and indirectly impact on local moral geographies, identity politics, political parties, civil society organizations, economic interests, and the law. It brings into view how tenets of faith, ritual practices and religious authorities are in turn configured according to socio-political, economic as well as security interests. The series provides brand new comparative material on how notions of self and other as well as justice and the commonweal have been predicated upon ‘the religious’ in Asia since the colonial/imperialist period until today. Series Editors Martin Ramstedt, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle Stefania Travagnin, University of Groningen Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies Edited by Cheng-tian Kuo Amsterdam University Press This book is sponsored by the 2017 Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (Taiwan; SP002-D-16) and co-sponsored by the International Institute of Asian Studies (the Netherlands). Cover illustration: Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in Beijing © Cheng-tian Kuo Cover design: Coördesign, Leiden Typesetting: Crius Group, Hulshout Amsterdam University Press English-language titles are distributed in the US and Canada by the University of Chicago Press.
    [Show full text]
  • `` State and Religion in Modern China: Religious Policy and Scholarly Paradigms ''
    “ State and Religion in Modern China: Religious Policy and Scholarly Paradigms ” Vincent Goossaert To cite this version: Vincent Goossaert. “ State and Religion in Modern China: Religious Policy and Scholarly Paradigms ”. 2006. halshs-00106187 HAL Id: halshs-00106187 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00106187 Preprint submitted on 13 Oct 2006 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. State and Religion in Modern China: Religious Policies and Scholarly Paradigms Vincent Goossaert Researcher, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 1 Paper for the Panel “State and Society,” “Rethinking Modern Chinese History: An International Conference to Celebrate the 50 th Anniversary of the Institute of Modern History,” Academia Sinica, Taipei, Republic of China, June 29-July 1, 2005. Modern China, from the last decades of the Qing empire through the Republican and the Communist periods, has experienced dramatic and uninterrupted changes in the relationships between state 2 and religion, as political leaders devised and implemented radically innovative ways of dealing with religion through legislation and administrative practice, and as religious specialists and institutions reacted to such changes by resisting, adapting, or inventing new ways to place themselves on the public scene.
    [Show full text]
  • China, Country Information
    China, Country Information CHINA COUNTRY ASSESSMENT April 2003 Country Information and Policy Unit I SCOPE OF DOCUMENT II GEOGRAPHY III ECONOMY IV HISTORY V STATE STRUCTURES VIA HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES VIB HUMAN RIGHTS: SPECIFIC GROUPS VIC HUMAN RIGHTS: OTHER ISSUES ANNEX A: CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS ANNEX B: POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS ANNEX C: PROMINENT PEOPLE ANNEX D: GLOSSARIES ANNEX E: CHECKLIST OF CHINA INFORMATION PRODUCED BY CIPU ANNEX F: REFERENCES TO SOURCE MATERIAL 1. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 This assessment has been produced by the Country Information and Policy Unit, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Home Office, from information obtained from a wide variety of recognised sources. The document does not contain any Home Office opinion or policy. 1.2 The assessment has been prepared for background purposes for those involved in the asylum / human rights determination process. The information it contains is not exhaustive. It concentrates on the issues most commonly raised in asylum / human rights claims made in the United Kingdom. 1.3 The assessment is sourced throughout. It is intended to be used by caseworkers as a signpost to the source material, which has been made available to them. The vast majority of the source material is readily available in the public domain. 1.4 It is intended to revise the assessment on a six-monthly basis while the country remains within the top 35 asylum-seeker producing countries in the United Kingdom. 2. GEOGRAPHY file:///V|/vll/country/uk_cntry_assess/apr2003/0403_China.htm[10/21/2014 9:56:46 AM] China, Country Information Geographical Area 2.1. The People's Republic of China (PRC) covers 9,571,300 sq km of eastern Asia, with Mongolia and Russia to the north; Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakstan to the north-west; Afghanistan and Pakistan to the west; India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the south; and Korea in the north-east.
    [Show full text]
  • China Human Rights Report 2017》
    臺灣民主基金會 Taiwan Foundation for Democracy 本出版品係由財團法人臺灣民主基金會負責出版。臺灣民主基金會是 一個獨立、非營利的機構，其宗旨在促進臺灣以及全球民主、人權的 研究與發展。臺灣民主基金會成立於二○○三年，是亞洲第一個國家 級民主基金會，未來基金會志在與其他民主國家合作，促進全球新一 波的民主化。 This is a publication of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD). The TFD is an independent, non-profit foundation dedicated to the study and promotion of democracy and human rights in Taiwan and abroad. Founded in 2003, the TFD is the first democracy assistance foundation established in Asia. The Foundation is committed to the vision of working together with other democracies, to advance a new wave of democratization worldwide. 本報告由臺灣民主基金會負責出版，報告內容不代表本會意見。 版權所有，非經本會事先書面同意，不得翻印、轉載及翻譯。 This report has been published by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. Statements of fact or opinion appearing in this report do not imply endorsement by the publisher. All rights reserved. No portion of the contents may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. 臺灣民主基金會 Taiwan Foundation for Democracy 臺灣民主基金會 Taiwan Foundation for Democracy 《China Human Rights Report 2017》 Contents Foreword..................................................................................................... i Preface........................................................................................................ 1 Human Rights Dialogue and Confrontation between China and the West during 2017 ................................................................................. 29 Political Human Rights ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Transnational Religious Spaces of Yiguandao Activists in Urban South Africa
    China Perspectives 2019-4 | 2019 (Re)imagining Chinese Spaces in Urban Africa. Maitreya’s Garden in the Township: Transnational Religious Spaces of Yiguandao Activists in Urban South Africa Nikolas Broy Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/9662 DOI: 10.4000/chinaperspectives.9662 ISSN: 1996-4617 Publisher Centre d'étude français sur la Chine contemporaine Printed version Date of publication: 1 December 2019 Number of pages: 27-36 ISSN: 2070-3449 Electronic reference Nikolas Broy, “Maitreya’s Garden in the Township: Transnational Religious Spaces of Yiguandao Activists in Urban South Africa”, China Perspectives [Online], 2019-4 | 2019, Online since 01 December 2020, connection on 01 April 2021. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/9662 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/chinaperspectives.9662 © All rights reserved Special feature china perspectives Maitreya’s Garden in the Township: Transnational Religious Spaces of Yiguandao Activists in Urban South Africa* NIKOLAS BROY ABSTRACT: This paper seeks to explore the spaces created by practitioners of the Taiwanese-Chinese religious movement Yiguandao 一 貫 道 (“Way of Pervading Unity”) in urban South Africa. Drawing on ethnographic data from fieldwork conducted in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town in late 2017 as well as on published Yiguandao materials, this contribution analyses how these spaces are created, maintained, and charged with meaning. It investigates the uses of these spaces as well as how and why various actors engage in them. By proposing a preliminary typology that is based on the location, function, and mobility of these spaces, this contribution argues that Yiguandao religious spaces represent more intense arenas of transcultural interaction than most other – and predominantly economic – Chinese spaces in Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Minorities and China an Mrg International Report an Mrg International
    Minority Rights Group International R E P O R Religious Minorities T and China • RELIGIOUS MINORITIES AND CHINA AN MRG INTERNATIONAL REPORT AN MRG INTERNATIONAL BY MICHAEL DILLON RELIGIOUS MINORITIES AND CHINA Acknowledgements © Minority Rights Group International 2001 Minority Rights Group International (MRG) gratefully All rights reserved. acknowledges the support of the Ericson Trust and all the Material from this publication may be reproduced for teaching or for other organizations and individuals who gave financial and other non-commercial purposes. No part of it may be reproduced in any form for assistance for this Report. commercial purposes without the prior express permission of the copyright This Report has been commissioned and is published by holders. MRG as a contribution to public understanding of the issue For further information please contact MRG. which forms its subject. The text and views of the author do A CIP catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. not necessarily represent, in every detail and in all its ISBN 1 897693 24 9 aspects, the collective view of MRG. ISSN 0305 6252 Published November 2001 MRG is grateful to all the staff and independent expert read- Typeset by Kavita Graphics ers who contributed to this Report, in particular Shelina Printed in the UK on bleach-free paper. Thawer (Asia and Pacific Programme Coordinator) and Sophie Richmond (Report Editor). THE AUTHOR Michael Dillon is Senior Lecturer in Modern Chinese and China’s Muslim Hui Community (Curzon), and editor History and Director of the Centre for Contemporary of China: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary (Curzon).
    [Show full text]