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Mimi Lau

China is banning commercialisation of Buddhist and Taoist activities as Beijing moves to tighten its grip on religion.
The State Administration for Religious Affairs and 11 other departments rolled out measures to step up governance over commercialisation of the two religions in a 10-point directive released on Thursday which will be implemented by local governments across the nation.
It comes ahead of an updated regulation on religious affairs, which comes into force in February.
Issues to do with commercialising the two religions are a key public concern, according to state news agency Xinhua.
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All commercial investment in Buddhism and Taoism is prohibited under the directive, with the basis that their temples are non-profit in nature. The religions are important in Chinese culture and society and some of the country’s most popular tourist attractions revolve around centuries-old Buddhist and Taoist temples.
Investing in or contracting out the operation of temples or other religious venues is also banned, along with any other profit-making activities associated with the two religions.

Local cadres have also specifically been banned from promoting and profiting from religious activities in the name of fostering economic development.
Temples in scenic spots cannot overcharge tourists for entry, while they are banned from building any new large outdoor religious statues. Existing ones will also be under scrutiny.
The directive also states that any revenues gained from religious operations should be used for charity and maintenance purposes only, and religious groups must follow a standard taxation, banking and accounting system.
The measures would protect the religions, according to Xinhua, while maintaining social stability. It added that problems associated with commercialisation could be destructive for Buddhism and Taoism, disrupt normal religious activities and breed corruption.
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Nanjing-based religious expert Zhang Zhipeng welcomed the measures as a step forward in tackling issues that had long troubled China’s two oldest religions.
But Zhang said the directive needed to spell out the concept of commercialisation of Buddhism and Taoism so that the rules could be effectively implemented.
“Commercial activities organised by religious groups should be allowed as long as they are charity-based – but this itself can be a very complicated concept as the two religions are closely linked with tourism in China because of history and tradition,” Zhang said.
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The Shaolin Temple, which is more than 1,500 years old and is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese martial arts, has been at the centre of controversy concerning religion and commerce in China in recent years.
In March, the temple and its ”CEO Monk” abbot Shi Yongxin, who has an MBA, came under fire for a plan to build a US$297 million hotel complex in Australia that included a temple, live-in kung fu academy and a golf course.
And back in 2009, the government of Dengfeng, where the temple is located, was criticised after media reported it had signed a framework agreement with a Hong Kong-based company to establish a joint venture that would eventually list Shaolin on the stock market. The city government later said the venture would not manage the temple and denied it planned to list.


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Religion in China

Beijing tightens grip on religion with ban on profit-making activities

Monks practice Kongfu at Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province. Photo: Xinhua

A woman burns incense ahead of the coming lunar new year in prayer as a monk reads at a Taoist temple in Beijing on January 30, 2011. The Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac of a twelve animal cycle begins February 3, a metal Rabbit from the five elements whic also include water, wood, fire and earth, and lasts until January 22, 2012. AFP PHOTO/Frederic J. BROWN / AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN

China’s underground churches head for cover as crackdown closes in

Numerous “house churches” thrive in China despite close monitoring and periodic harassment from authorities. Photo: AFP

A man looks at the Lingbo Church at Pingyang county, Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province. The local government asks the church to take down the red cross on top of the building. 23JUN14 === Photo by Simon Song ===

FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2017 file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Premier Li Keqiang applaud during a ceremony to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi says China will have the "confidence to conquer all forms of invasion" and won't allow the loss of "any piece" of its land to outsiders. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool, File)

This picture taken on June 26, 2017 shows police patrolling as Muslims leave the Id Kah Mosque after the morning prayer on Eid al-Fitr in the old town of Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The increasingly strict curbs imposed on the mostly Muslim Uighur population have stifled life in the tense Xinjiang region, where beards are partially banned and no one is allowed to pray in public. Beijing says the restrictions and heavy police presence seek to control the spread of Islamic extremism and separatist movements, but analysts warn that Xinjiang is becoming an open air prison. / AFP PHOTO / Johannes EISELE / TO GO WITH China-religion-politics, FOCUS by Ben Dooley

In this photo taken July 15, 2014, Pastor Tao Chongyin, left, speaks with church member Fan Liang'an in front of the Wuxi Christian Church with the words "Church of Jesus" in red, in Longwan, Wenzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province. Across Zhejiang province, which hugs Chinas rocky southeastern coast, authorities have toppled, or threatened to topple, crosses at more than 130 churches. I wont let them take down the cross even if it means they would shoot me dead, said Fan Liangan, 73, whose grandfather helped build the church in 1924. (AP Photo/Didi Tang)

SHIJIAZHUANG, CHINA - APRIL 09: (CHINA OUT) A Chinese Catholic woman takes communion at the Palm Sunday Mass during the Easter Holy Week at an "underground" or "unofficial" church on April 9, 2017 near Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. China, an officially atheist country, places a number of restrictions on Christians, allowing legal practice of the faith only at state-approved churches. The policy has driven an increasing number of Christians and Christian converts 'underground' to secret congregations in private homes and other venues. While the size of the religious community is difficult to measure, studies estimate more than 80 million Christians inside China; some studies support the possibility it could become the most Christian nation in the world in the coming years. Officially there have been no relations between China and the Vatican since the country's modern founding in 1949 though in recent years there have been signs of warming relations between Chinese president Xi J

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Authorities take aim at commercialisation of Buddhism and Taoism in 10-point directive


Beijing tightens grip on religion with ban on profit-making activities

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Authorities take aim at commercialisation of Buddhism and Taoism in 10-point directive

Authorities take aim at commercialisation of Buddhism and Taoism in 10-point directive