Events

CHAIRPERSON

Prof Kenneth Dean, Asia Research Institute, and Department of Chinese Studies, National University of Singapore.

ABSTRACT

China is in the midst of a poorly understood but profound religious revival–a great awakening of faith that is shaping the soul of the world’s newest superpower. Following a century of attacks on religion, faith and belief are now no longer taboo topics. Across the country, new temples, churches, and mosques are being rebuilt and expanded, while many Chinese are seeking values and advice from self-styled gurus and masters, some drawing on ancient ideas, while others are inspired by New Age movements. Progress is not linear – temples are torn down, churches shorn of their crosses, and traditional ideas coopted by government leaders – but it is no exaggeration to say that faith and belief are back at the center of a national discussion over what kind of country China should become. In this talk, he will explain why religion became such a taboo topic in the 20th century, and how it is returning to the center of Chinese religion life.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ian Johnson has been a reporter for the New York Times in China. He lived in China for most of the past thirty years and has spent the past six devoted to a project about China’s religious revival, living for extended periods with underground church members, rural Daoists, and Buddhist pilgrims. Along the way, he learned neidan meditation techniques, visited a nonagenarian Confucian sage, and befriended government propagandists. His upcoming book, The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao(Pantheon, April 2017) describes China’s ongoing religious renaissance. The book is divided into five story lines that intersect and are woven through the course of one lunar year. The five story lines are: pilgrims to Miaofengshan outside of Beijing, Daoist priests in Shanxi province, a Protestant community in Chengdu, internal alchemy (neidan) practitioners, government officials trying to harness the desire by Chinese people for more faith and values.

ABOUT THE DISCUSSANT

Francis Lim is Associate Professor in the Division of Sociology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His current research interest focuses on religion in various Asian cultures and societies. His latest book project examines how Christians seek to transform mainland China through the workplace, social media, and community development work. He is also conducting research on Chinese vernacular shrines in the urban contexts of Singapore and Taipei. He is the author of Imagining the Good Life: Negotiating Culture and Development in Nepal Himalaya (Brill 2008), co-editor of Christianity and the State in Asia: Complicity and Conflict (Routledge 2009), editor of Mediating Piety: Technology and Religion in Contemporary Asia (Brill 2009), and Christianity in Contemporary China: Socio-cultural Perspectives (Routledge 2013).

PROGRAMME

REGISTRATION

Admission is free, and seats are available on a first come, first served basis. We would greatly appreciate if you click on the “Register” button above to RSVP.

ARI ASIA TRENDS 2016 SERIES

ASIA TRENDS is an ARI flagship public outreach event. This annual series of public lectures showcase the work of ARI’s research clusters, highlights the relevance of ARI’s research to Singapore, and relates Singapore to the rest of Asia from the perspective of significant trends in the region. It is an opportunity for ARI to connect with the larger Singapore community through sharing and interacting with various public sectors (citizenry, government), civil society organizations, businesses, universities and colleges, by presenting cutting edge research on major trends in Asia. Some trends examined in the past include “En Route to the Departure Hall: How Migrants Navigate Recruitment Processes,” “Finding Singapore,” “Perspectives on Marital Dissolution: Divorce Biographies in Singapore,” “Creating Centralities” and “What is Sinophone World Literature?: China, Southeast Asia, and the Global 60s”. Each ARI research cluster hosts an evening talk, during which usually an overseas speaker, who is a prominent researcher or scholar, is invited to examine an emergent trend in that research field; a Singapore-based researcher then provides comments on local development with regard to the trend in question. Past seminars have witnessed interesting interaction between speakers and commentators and lively audience participation in the discussions.