New Sources
Prazniak, Roxann. Of Camel Kings and Other Things: Rural Rebels
against Modernity in Late Imperial China. Lanham, Md.,
1999.
Spence, Jonathan D. God’s Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly
Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. New York, 1996.
ANNA SEIDEL (1987)
Revised Bibliography
TAIWANESE RELIGIONS. The term Taiwanese re-
ligions is used here to describe the religious beliefs and prac-
tices of the people who inhabit Taiwan, regardless of their
ethnic or sub-ethnic backgrounds. Taiwan has long been rec-
ognized for its diverse range of religious traditions. As differ-
ent groups of Taiwanese have attempted to find meaningful
ways to confront life crises, social disorder, natural disasters,
and a sense of injustice, they have created a wide range of
beliefs and practices, each with its own distinctive back-
ground and characteristics. This diversity befits Taiwan’s his-
torical development as an island situated in a key commercial
and strategic location, and justifies the use of the plural form
in considering its religious traditions.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW. Taiwan was first settled by Aborigi-
nal peoples of Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) origin,
with significant immigration from the Chinese mainland
only beginning by the seventeenth century. During the Qing
dynasty (1644–1911), the island was largely a frontier region
that never became fully integrated into the Chinese empire.
However, Han Chinese migrants brought their gods over
from China, and worshipped them in various compatriot,
territorial, and commercial temples. Various Chinese sectari-
an movements, as well as Christianity, also began to spread
in developed areas of Taiwan, but it appears that no eminent
Buddhist or Daoist figures came to the island at this time.
During the colonial era (1895–1945), when Taiwan
was ruled by Japan, the island enjoyed a prolonged period
of urbanization and industrialization, which laid a firm foun-
dation for its economic development. Taiwanese religious
traditions flourished during most of this era, despite policy
shifts from laissez-faire (1895–1915) to regulation (1915–
1930s) to efforts to co-opt Buddhism and Christianity while
suppressing sectarian movements and temple cults under a
“temple-restructuring” campaign enacted during the “Japa-
nization” movement (1930s–1940s).
Taiwan became a province of the Republic of China
(ROC) in 1945, and the Nationalist (Guomindang) govern-
ment relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after its defeat in the Chi-
nese civil war. Many prominent religious specialists followed
the Nationalists over from China during these chaotic years,
including eminent Buddhist monks, the Daoist Celestial
Master (Tianshi), leaders of sectarian traditions such as the
Way of Unity (Yiguan Dao), and Christian missionaries.
More recently, Tibetan Buddhists and members of new Japa-
nese religions have begun to proselytize in Taiwan. While the
state kept a close watch on these movements during the early
decades of the postwar era, the end of martial law in 1987
marked the beginning of a new era of religious development.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Taiwan
boasts one of the most dynamic religious environments in
East Asia. In contrast with China, where religion is only
gradually emerging from the shadow of long-term oppres-
sion by a totalitarian regime, Taiwanese religions are thriving
and even expanding. Freedom of religion has always been
guaranteed under the ROC Constitution, Article 13 of
which clearly states, “the people shall have freedom of reli-
gious beliefs.” However, now that Taiwan has developed into
a democracy, people can practice the religious tradition of
their choice without fear of state suppression. Members of
any religious faith are free to congregate and introduce their
belief systems to others, while previously outlawed sectarian
movements now operate openly and continue to expand.
The legitimacy of Taiwan’s religious traditions can also be
seen in the formation of the Taiwan Association of Religious
Studies, which was founded on April 18, 1999, and has at-
tracted the membership of dozens of students, faculty, and
religious specialists from both Taiwan and other countries.
Another striking facet of religion in Taiwan is that eco-
nomic growth and technological development have not re-
sulted in the decline of religious practice; on the contrary,
many educated men and women who surf the web on a daily
basis apparently feel no qualms about practicing religion, and
many large religious organizations and temples have their
own websites.
ABORIGINAL RELIGIONS. Taiwan’s most venerable religious
traditions are those of its Aboriginal peoples, who are usually
classified by place of residence as Plains Aborigines and
Mountain Aborigines. Long-term processes of acculturation
and even assimilation have diluted the aborigines’ religious
traditions, which generally centered on ancestor worship,
lifecycle rituals, and annual festivals. Moreover, numerous
aborigines have converted to Christianity, especially Presby-
terianism. Some Aboriginal beliefs and practices have sur-
vived, however, and are gaining increasing recognition from
scholars and government officials. These religious traditions
continue to play important roles in aAboriginal life, and also
serve as a vital force in the reformation of aborigine identity.
BUDDHISM. Historical evidence indicates that no eminent
Buddhist monks came to Taiwan during the Qing dynasty,
although some monks did make the journey across the Tai-
wan Straits from southern China in order to help manage
temples in Taiwan that were constructed by the state or local
communities. During the colonial era, lay Buddhists and
members of the sam:gha attempted to evade state control by
actively cooperating with Japanese Buddhists. Some subordi-
nated their sacred sites administratively to Japanese Buddhist
lineages. Others formed religious associations that pledged
their loyalty to the colonial authorities, including the Patriot-
ic Buddhist Association, the Buddhist Youth Association, the
Taiwan Friends of the Buddhist Way, and largest and per-8962 TAIWANESE RELIGIONS