Religion in the Social Transition of Contemporary China (Day 1)
The rapid growth of religious activity in China, especially among Christians but including other religions as well, raises profound questions about the relationship of religion to government, its impact on society, and its potential effects on the emerging social challenges facing China. What are the factors shaping the Chinese approach to this critical issue? What challenges does this approach face? How might we expect it to evolve in the future? These are important questions for U.S.-Chinese relations, given the role of religion in American society and the importance attached to religious freedom in United States foreign policy. This two-day conference will examine this critical and timely topic through several lenses from distinguished scholars from both China and the United States.
9:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Welcome Remarks: J. Stapleton Roy, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States and Caleb K. Zia, President, Asia Research Center Foundation
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
PANEL ONE: Religion and Religious Policy in China
Moderator: Christopher Wilde, Asia Research Center Foundation
Thinking Thrice of the Sinicization of Christianity -- ZHANG Zhigang, Peking University
Counting Religion in China Today -- Brian Grim, Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life
Investigating China’s Church-State Relations Through a Comparison of the Classical Chinese I-Ching Concept of “Religion by the State,” and the Western Concept of “Separation of Church and State” -- LI Ling (Daniel), Shanxi Normal University
From Crisis of Beliefs to Crisis of Religion—the Basic Transformation of Religious and Beliefs in Contemporary China -- LI Xiangping, East China Normal University
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 – 3:15 p.m.
PANEL TWO: Religious Freedom in China: Chinese and Western Perspectives
Moderator: J. Stapleton Roy, Director, Kissinger Institute
Discussant: John Hanford, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (2002-2009).
Riding the Dragon: China and Religious Freedom -- Thomas F. Farr, Georgetown University
Chinese Freedom of Religious Belief Under the Background of Globalization -- WANG Xiaochao, Tsinghua University
From Administrative Management to Legal Adjustment: The Evolution of the Management Mode of Religion in China -- LIU Peng, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
3:15 – 3:30 p.m. Coffee Break
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
PANEL THREE -- Religion and Society: A Comparison of Various Models Currently Being Practiced in the Chinese Speaking World
Moderator: Caleb K. Zia, Asia Research Center Foundation
Law and Religion: The Hong Kong Model and its Adaptability to Mainland China --TAI Yiu Ting (Benny), The University of Hong Kong
Religion and the Development of a Harmonious Society: A Singaporean Reflection -- Michael Nai Chiu Poon, Trinity Theological College
Church Policy in China—Finding a Workable Model -- WANG Ambroise Aiming, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary
The Religious Freedom, Doctrines and the Regulation of State—A Case of the Religious Groups Act Draft of Taiwan -- WU Yungsheng (Ezra), Ming Chuan University
This event is a collaboration between the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the United States and the Asia Research Center (ARC) Foundation.
Hosted By
Kissinger Institute on China and the United States
The Kissinger Institute works to ensure that China policy serves American long-term interests and is founded in understanding of historical and cultural factors in bilateral relations and in accurate assessment of the aspirations of China’s government and people. Read more