Religion is not the most important thing that China is known for and there is probably no single religion in China that can be termed as the Chinese religion.
They have always comparatively remained
indifferent to metaphysical speculations and have often been skeptical about the existence of 'God'. Since the early days of Chinese History,
Religion in China was never homogeneously spread across the country. The Chinese landscape was always dotted with
numerous religions , including Taoism, Islam, Catholicism,Protestantism, Buddhism( specially, Mahayana Buddhism),and of course The Buddhist Folk Religion.
Islam is followed by ten National minorities in China which include the Hui and Uygur. Islam was introduced in China in the 7 th Century and even now there are several mosques in China served by the Imams and the Pirs(Priests)
Taoism with a History of over 1,700 years is a native religion in China . There are numerous Taoist temples and priests in China even now.
Protestantism gained ground in China with the end of the Opium War and presently there are around 10 million Protestants in China.
Catholicism although was introduced in the 7 th century, it became popular only after the Opium War. There are around4,600 churches now in China.
Religious Organization in China are not few and it only reflects the pluralist religious approach of the Chinese. There are the Buddhist Association, the Taoist Association,The Islamic Association,The Patriotic Catholic Association,China Christian Council etc.
Religion in China acquires a complicated nature because of the Chinese concepts of Sacred and spiritual which are completely divorced from the concept of God. There is a strange mixture of belief ,religion,superstition and practices that make a definite definition of
Religion in China impossible.
