ABSTRACT
In September 2012 SARA (China’s State Administration of Religious Affairs)
launched the first nationwide week of religious charity in China. Over 200
representatives from government recognized religious organizations were present
at its opening ceremony in Wuhan, which signalled the support for religious
groups’ involvement in charitable services, provided this involvement was ‘long-
term, institutionalized, and provided in a standardized manner’ (UCANews 2012).
After decades of changing attitudes towards this sector, the ‘charity week’marked
another step towards the government’s acceptance and now promotion of religious
charity in China. It also seems to mark a return, at least in ideological discourse,
to the happy marriage of religious social service and socialist ideals as first
encountered in the decades prior to 1949.
