Tuesday, January 09, 2018

The Use of Religion in China's Annexation Drive

Store near Guguan

BBC Monitoring forwarded a translation of a China owned Hong Kong paper's commentary on independence and Taiwan...
By BBC Monitoring

On 30 December 2017, China-owned Hong Kong daily Ta Kung Pao ran an article by commentator Chin Lin-yuan, regarding Taiwan's attempt to "promote cultural independence" for the island.

....

According to the author, economy, trade and culture play a vital part in maintaining cross-Strait ties. Over the years, cross-Strait economic and trade interactions have been "smooth and successful." Today, great efforts should be made to enhance cross-Strait cultural exchange, the author said, adding that more TV series and films with themes that people in both the mainland and Taiwan can relate to, "especially" the country's reunification, can be produced to attract Taiwanese viewers. Most importantly, "we should make greater efforts to promote cross-Strait religious exchange." The author said Buddhism is the most popular religion in Taiwan. The Buddhist schools of the mainland and Taiwan share the same root. Many eminent monks in Taiwan are disciples of monks who migrated from the mainland to Taiwan in the past. Exchange between Buddhists on both sides of the Strait can help promote Chinese culture and tradition, the author added.

CREDIT: Ta Kung Pao, Hong Kong, in Chinese (written) 1000 gmt 8 Jan 18
Word count: 410
Ta Kung Pao, Hong Kong, in Chinese (written) 1000 gmt 8 Jan 18/BBC Monitoring/© BBC
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1985540600
I've long commented on the tight relationship between religion and cross-strait annexation politics.The Mazu cult remains a key nexus of organized crime, religion, and annexation politics, as I have commented and also here. Of course Buddhism is a major arena of annexation politics, as I observed here on an Ian Johnson piece. Taoist deities underwent the same transformation, as Johnson, who has written a major work on religion in modern China, noted in a WSJ piece several years ago.

It is good to see this point made openly in the Chinese media....
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish somebody would investigate Woodenfish, the Foguangshan retreat program for foreigners which has somehow been spun off into a China-based version:

http://www.woodenfish.org/

Anonymous said...

I see you constantly using the word cult. Do you mean the common negative definition or are you use some sort of more obscure dictionary definition?

B.BarNavi said...

"Cult" as in cultus, i.e. a ritualized religious devotion, as opposed to, say "The Chiang cult of personality".

Anonymous said...

"ritualized religious devotion" nowadays is called 'religion'. As opposed to something like scientology, which is described as 'a cult'.