Religions of Beijing

Description

Religions of Beijing offers an intimate portrayal of lived religion in 17 different religious communities in greater Beijing. Students at Minzu University of China spent one year immersed in the routine and practices daily, "writing with" the experiences and perspectives of their practitioners. Each chapter has been translated into English, with students at Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa) facilitating this process. The result is a bi-lingual book (Mandarin, English) that reveals to Chinese- and English-speaking readers the vibrant diversity of lived religion in contemporary Beijing. Each chapter focuses on the histories, practices, spaces, and members of its community, telling the overall story of the renewed flourishing of religion in Beijing. The book is also enriched with over 100 photos that portray this flourishing renewal, capturing the lived experience of ordinary practitioners. Together, the words and photographs of Religions of Beijing draw the reader into the stories and lives of these communities and their members, providing a first-hand look at the contemporary practice of religion in greater Beijing. The religions covered are Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam and folk religion. Religions of Beijing is a collaboration of Minzu University of China and Drake University, USA.

You Bin is Professor of Religions at Minzu University of China, China. He is the founding editor of Journal of Comparative Scripture. Timothy D. Knepper is Professor of Philosophy at Drake University, USA.

While far from encyclopedic in its coverage of these select sites, the text provides more information and cultural context than most tourist guidebooks, and could effectively be used as one ... Religions of Beijing, in particular, stands out as the most impressive outcome of a faculty-student research project I have ever seen. Given the ongoing suppression of religion in the PRC, student travel groups might wish to boycott the country, so this is a project unlikely to be duplicated, either in Beijing or in other communities within the country. As a stimulus for similar projects elsewhere, however, the book has solid value, both suggesting a format and serving as an inspiration. * Nova Religio *