Categories
Economy Society

A Refuge From China’s Rat Race: The Young People Flocking To Buddhist Monasteries

Unemployment, stress in the workplace, economic difficulties: more and more young Chinese graduates are flocking to monasteries to find “another school of life.”

Categories
In The News

Asian Cults And Castes, Where New Religions Meet Power Politics

Emerging religions and cults in Asia are deeply intertwined with politics: in China, religions need political approval, while in Japan religious groups use political platforms to assert themselves. Not even the killing of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, carried out by a member of the Unification Church, has prompted a closer look at exactly what role religion plays in society.

Categories
Food / Travel

Why The Chinese Eat (And Drink) Anything And Everything

BEIJING — In his book on Confucianism, Taiwanese academic Kung Peng-Cheng explored how Chinese people have historically had among the fewest cultural restraints related to the food and drink they consume. “They eat almost anything,” Kung remarked. Even alcohol, strictly prohibited in many societies for religious reasons, has only occasionally been banned in Chinese history, […]

Categories
Society

Soft Power, Chinese-Style: Can Ancient Philosophy Help China Rule The World?

-Essay- BEIJING – There has been a succession of dynasties in China’s long history, but Chinese culture has always followed the same basic ideology. This ideology is composed of ideas from three sources: the Book of Changes, Confucianism, and Taoism. Today, if we want to export the soft power of Chinese culture, we must first […]

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