Is a Buddhist Group Changing China? Or Is China Changing It?
He has met with Master Hsing Yun four times since 2012, telling him in one meeting: "I’ve read all the books
that master sent me." While Mr. Xi’s government has tightened restrictions on Christianity and Islam, it has allowed Fo Guang Shan to open cultural centers in four cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Under President Xi, who started a campaign to promote traditional Chinese faiths, especially Buddhism, as
part of his program for "the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," the government’s support has grown.
She describes the group’s work as "cultural exchange." "The mainland continues the ideology of ancient emperors — you can only operate there when you are
firmly under its control," said Chiang Tsan-teng, a professor at Taipei City University of Science and Technology who studies Buddhism in the region.
Venerable Miaoyuan said that We can keep the religion secondary but introduce the ideas of Buddhism into society,
She recalled the values her father had tried to instill in her — honesty, thrift, righteousness —
but she said there seemed no way to live by them in China today.
The Chinese government is wary of spiritual activity it does not control — the Falun Gong an example — and prohibits mixing religion and politics.
