With well over 100 million adherents, Buddhism emerged from near-annihilation during the Cultural Revolution to become the largest religion in China today. Despite this, Buddhism’s rise has received relatively little scholarly attention. The present volume, with contributions by leading scholars in sociology, anthropology, political science, and religious studies, explores the evolution of Chinese Buddhism in the post-Mao period with a depth not seen before in a single study. Chapters critically analyze the effects of state policies on the evolution of Buddhist institutions; the challenge of rebuilding temples under the watchful eye of the state; efforts to rebuild monastic lineages and schools left broken in the aftermath of Mao’s rule; and the development of new lay Buddhist spaces, both at temple sites and online. Through its multidisciplinary perspectives, the book provides both an extensive overview of the social and political conditions under which Buddhism has grown as well as discussions of the individual projects of both monastic and lay entrepreneurs who dynamically and creatively carve out spaces for Buddhist growth in contemporary Chinese society. As a wide-ranging study that illuminates many facets of China’s Buddhist revival, Buddhism after Mao will be required reading for scholars of Chinese Buddhism and of Buddhism and modernity more broadly. Its detailed case studies examining the intersections among religion, state, and contemporary Chinese society will be welcomed by sociologists and anthropologists of China, political scientists focusing on the role of religion in state formation in Asian societies, and all those interested in the relationship between religion and social change.

Buddhism under Mao shows what kind of a problem Buddhism presented to the Chinese Communists and how they solved it. Relying largely on materials from the Mainland press, Holmes Welch has made what is probably the most detailed study so far available of the fate of a world religion in a Communist country. He describes how Buddhist institutions were controlled, protected, utilized, and suppressed; and explains why the larger needs of foreign and domestic policy dictated the Communists' approach to the institutions. Over eighty photographs illustrate the activities of monks, laymen, and foreign visitors. Welch worked for over a decade on the trilogy here completed. The preceding volumes, The Practice of Chinese Buddhism, 1900-1950 and The Buddhist Revival in China, dealt with Buddhism in the years before the Communist victory. Buddhism under Mao ends with a discussion of the possibility of the survival of certain elements of Buddhism in new forms.

This study examines the dialogue process in the Sino-Tibetan dispute from the early years of the post-Mao era to the present. It considers the latest round of discussions between Beijing and the Dalai Lama in light of the failures of the early initiatives as well as the current conditions for dialogue. In its reappraisal of the early failures, the study contends that even when Beijing appeared most inclined to enter into talks, the gap between the two sides was too wide for meaningful engagement. The study then traces the relationship between the PRC and the exiled Tibetan leadership from the PRC and the exiled Tibetan leadership from the early engagement of the 1980s through the protracted stalemate of the 1990s, Jiang Zemin's abortive exploratory talks of 1997?98, and on to the breakthrough of 2001, when direct contacts between Beijing and Dharamsala were re-established. The study contends that conditions for Sino-Tibetan talks have improved over time. But while factors such as the emergence of domestic critics of China's Tibet policy suggest a momentum toward engagement, developments such as the institutional restructuring of Beijing's management of Tibetan affairs signal potential obstacles to serious dialogue. The authors argue that while both sides can benefit from the current process of talking about talks, they will nonetheless find it difficult to overcome their differences on the substantive issues of autonomy and unification.This is the twelfth publication in Policy Studies, a peer-reviewed East-West Center Washington series that presents scholarly analysis of key contemporary domestic and international political, economic, and strategic issues affecting Asia in a policy relevant manner.

comprehensive subject and name index.

"Chinese philosophy before our Christian era is emphasized in this nontechnical summary of Chinese thought. Professor Creel also deals with Confucianism, the ideas of Mo-tsu and Mencius, Taoism, Legalism, and their variations and adaptations. As an introduction for the general reader, this book stands among the best."—China: A Resource and Curriculum Guide "There exists nowhere else such a well-written presentation of the main trends in Chinese thought in so brief a space. The text is not cluttered with Chinese names and the pages are not weighed down with footnotes—but the references are there for those who want them, with suggestions for further readings. This is a book which can be understood by those who have never read anything else about China."—The New York Times Book Review

Describes the life of Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong in the context of the history of 20th century China and his immense impact on that history.