Confucian and Daoist Perspectives

Confucian and Daoist Perspectives

Introduction

In modern China, the term religion got introduced into China in the late 19th century via its more newest neighbor Japan, where a classical Chinese term zongjiao, which meant the teachings of a sect or school of thought and usually referred to Buddhism, got adjusted, and, used to translate the Western term into Japanese as shukyo. The classical Chinese term did not possess the modern connotations that were in the Western term religion, when it got introduced into Japan and China. The modern term suggested a distinct doctrinal system in contrast to earthly life and differentiated from other religious systems, reflecting its modern European usages. Indeed, the notion of religion in China referred to those religious systems that had a church-like formal institution, a long-standing scriptural tradition and theology, and an ordained clergy, thus its adoption in China basically excluded two important native traditions of religiosity. This is the reason why Confucianism and popular religion since they do not operate with their own separate social institutions but are embedded in the existing social and political structure. Therefore, all issues related to Confucian and Daoist Perspectives will be discussed in detail.

Discussion

The Central Asian border region of Xinjiang, in northwestern China, accounts for one-sixth of the country's land mass and is home to about twenty million people from thirteen major ethnic groups. Chinese control over its northwestern region dates back to the eighteenth century and the name Xinjiang was likely used for the first time in 1786. At the time, it was not the Han Chinese but rather the Manchus of the Qing dynasty who ruled China. The sinicized Manchus were expansionist, conquering large amounts of land including the Manchu homeland, Mongolia, Xinjiang or Eastern Turkestan, and Tibet (Antoun, 2001, 69).

Broadly speaking, Xinjiang has division between Muslims, most of whom speak Turkic languages, and non-Muslim Han Chinese. The Muslims form a majority although they do not constitute a united bloc against the Chinese as there are cultural and linguistic nuances. The ethnic group most frequently involved in unrest, in Xinjiang, would be the Uyghur the people after whom the autonomous region is named. The Uyghurs do not share any cultural or linguistic links with the majority Han Chinese citizens, who make up 92% of China's population. The Uyghurs and other ethnic minority groups living in Xinjiang including the Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Tajiks are of an ethnic heritage that is closer to the peoples of neighboring former Central Asia Soviet states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. In comparison, another Muslim group in China, the Hui, has become ethnically indistinguishable with the Han Chinese after centuries of intermarriages. The Hui Muslims speak Mandarin and share certain customs with the Han. As a result, they have been more assimilated into mainstream Han practices and norms, and, not deemed a threat to the state. Uyghur nationalistic desire for independence has always been in existence, with Xinjiang enjoying various degrees of autonomy since the early ...