(Minghui.org) China, often referred to as Shenzhou (the Divine Land), has a long and rich spiritual history. However, the nation’s spiritual landscape has changed dramatically since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power in 1949.
During the infamous Cultural Revolution, countless temples, Taoist monasteries, churches, and historic sites were demolished. In recent years, some of the remaining cultural heritage sites have been converted into tourist destinations for profit. These developments have further distanced the general public from traditional values.
We aim to retrace China’s history and legacy, to uncover fresh insights about humanity, society, and more.
(Continued from Part 3)
Unprecedented Havoc
For thousands of years, the spiritual traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism have not only upheld moral values but also profoundly enriched Chinese culture. Their influence is visible in historic records, folk operas, temple architecture, clothing culture, and literary and artistic works. Stories like Journey to the West, Ji Gong, The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, and Investiture of the Gods have been passed down through countless generations.
After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took power in 1949, it imposed atheism across various aspects of society, including culture, education, architecture, religion, and folk operas. The damage was systematic and thorough, affecting everything from ideology to grassroots culture.
According to The Theory and Practice of the CCP’s Suppression of Religion, written by Bai Zhi, there were 800,000 monks and nuns in China in 1949. Five years later, only a little over 70,000 remained in 1954. Before International Women's Day on March 8, 1951, the Women’s Federation in Changsha of Hunan Province ordered all nuns in the province to get married or engaged within a few days.
More than 2,300 Tibetan monasteries once stood in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan. Many were destroyed during the war, and by early 1959, most had been closed, occupied, or demolished. Of the over 170,000 lamas, most of them were forced to return to secular life.
Ten Years of Catastrophe: Blood and Tears in the Capital by Tong Xing is about the chaos that followed the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Everything related to worshiping—including Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, churches, and scriptures —became targets of the Red Guards. According to incomplete statistics, of the 6,843 historical and cultural sites in Beijing alone, 4,922 were destroyed, and 538,000 cultural relics were destroyed.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng once preached in Nanhua Temple (in today’s Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province). After he passed away in 713, his preserved bodywas enshrined in the main hall of Nanhua Temple. Over 1,000 years have passed, yet the body remained intact and had not decayed.
However, a calamity struck during the Cultural Revolution. According to the Collected Teachings of Venerable Master Foyuan, “The Red Guards placed the mummified body of the Sixth Patriarch on a handcart and paraded it around Shaoguan. They denounced him as a villain, a fake, and a deceiver, threatening to burn him. In the end, someone struck him with an iron rod, creating a hole the size of a bowl in his back and chest. They pulled out his internal organs and threw them in the main hall. His ribs and spine were scattered everywhere. The Red Guards also called them pig bones or dog bones.” Additionally, they placed an iron bowl on the Sixth Patriarch’s head, inscribed with the word “villain.”
This is just one of countless examples of how the CCP has damaged spiritual systems in the past. Now, it is causing harm in a different way. Although the temples have been rebuilt or expanded, they are no longer peaceful sanctuaries for a spiritual life.
The Shaolin Temple, renowned as one of China’s most famous Buddhist temples, has now become a major tourism attraction. A visitor in the summer of 2025 observed that the temple had essentially become a commercial enterprise. Traditionally, a temple might only sell incense and candles. However, the entrance to the scenic area is a bustling commercial district with restaurants, milk tea shops, and local specialty stores. Inside the temple, shops not only sell religious items and bracelets, but also conduct fortune-telling services and personalized name-based painting, she reported.
In addition, if one rides the cable car to the top, he or she would find bone-setting services with Shaolin Kung Fu. “All service providers are dressed in monks’ robes with shaved heads. I don’t know if they are real monks or fake ones,” the tourist remarked. “There are also numerous fees: 30 yuan for the shuttle, 25 yuan for a sightseeing bus, an entrance fee of 80 yuan, and a cable car ride for 100 yuan. These total 235 yuan per person. On top of that, there is a 100 yuan guide fee, and 300 yuan for calligraphy and paintings.”
Throughout history, all major civilizations have held beliefs in the divine, as have the world’s main religions. Recognizing our creation by the divine encouraged humility and modesty, as credit was given to the divine rather than ourselves.
Traditional Chinese culture, in particular, emphasized the profound harmony between heaven and earth. Guided by the teachings from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, generations have respected one another and practiced kindness for thousands of years. As the CCP harms China and threatens the world, it is more important than ever to understand the situation and find a path forward. History has shown us that the CCP’s reliance on class struggle, hatred, and lies cannot endure. By embracing moral values and following our conscience, we move toward a better future.
(The end)
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Category: Traditional Culture
