New Wine in Old Bottles: Sinicisation and State Regulation of Religion in China

ABSTRACT: This paper discusses Xi Jinping’s policy of religious sinicisation (zhongguohua 中国化) and the subsequent revision of the Regulations on Religious Affairs. I argue that Xi’s fear of foreign influence has driven the direction of recent changes in religious policy in favour of indigenous or indigenised religions. I show that the effort to sinicise religions and the consequent strengthening of the existing regulatory framework risks exacerbating the challenges that the Xi regime seeks to confront in the first place. KEYWORDS: Sinicisation, zhongguohua, Regulations on Religious Affairs, State-religion Relations, Selective Religious Toleration, United Front, China, Xi Jinping.

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The Paradox of Exchange: Institutional Asymmetry and the Limitations of Religious United Front Work across the Taiwan Strait

ABSTRACT: This article investigates how cross-strait distinction in religious governance affects Beijing’s united front work in Taiwan’s popular religious community. Due to shared spiritual lineages, Taiwanese temples are considered especially receptive to Chinese influence. Based on fieldwork and in-depth interview data collected over the years between 2013 and 2024, this article argues that institutional asymmetry has resulted in constant challenges limiting the effectiveness of cross-strait religious united front work. First, the centralised Chinese politico-religious order has limited the agency of the Chinese religious establishment in prioritising the CCP’s political imperative over religious logic. Second, decentralised Taiwanese temples have created coordination problems for cross-strait brokers whose agendas are not always aligned with Beijing. Finally, Taiwanese temple leaders abiding by communal religious traditions have deployed pragmatic coping strategies to sideline Beijing’s political intentions. Hence, Beijing’s efforts to initiate and repurpose cross-strait religious exchanges as instances of unity have paradoxically generated conflicting narratives within the Taiwanese popular religious community. KEYWORDS: institutional asymmetry, popular religions, religious united front work, cross-strait religious exchanges, cross-strait relations, temples, temple leadership.

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