ABSTRACT
The twentieth century brought drastic economic and political changes to China and Taiwan, as it did to much of the world. Unlike many places, however, Taiwan ended the century with a thriving market economy, an educated and well-off population, and democracy. China, in spite of its many problems, is emulating Taiwan’s economic growth, if not its politics. In both places, a growing market economy has ushered in a boom in religion, rather than the secularization that early theory had expected. Village-based temple religion is thriving again in much of China and all of Taiwan—sometimes growing even beyond the scope it had in the late nineteenth century. Christianity is increasing rapidly in China, and quasi-religious groups like the Falungong rise up constantly. Such groups are common in Taiwan, too, along with very large new Buddhist movements that have successfully spread over the globe. This has occurred in spite of governments that had long been unfriendly to religion, and in spite of the loss of many earlier sources of religious revenue, like extensive land-holdings.
