ABSTRACT
China has a population of over one billion composed of five major ethnic groups. Some of the population are non-Chinese. Islam is the dominant religion in some regions; Christian communities have existed in China since the 16th century. Anti-religious feelings, based on the ideology of Marxist Maoism, are also prevalent. Dualistic polarities – such as spirit and matter, good and evil, sacred and profane – tend to be perceived as complementing, rather than opposing, one another. Chinese religious thought can be seen as a philosophical distillation essentially rooted in folk traditions millennia older than Confucianism and Taoism. Belief in a continuity of life after death is a key part of all Chinese religions. Altars are built to ancestors and spirit tablets placed upon them. These can often be seen in the room of a dying person of a Chinese family. Veneration of ancestors is universal amongst Chinese people across all religious divides.
