What does this research mean for the field?

The modern concept of 'religion' was absent in Chinese academia prior to the twentieth century, requiring Chinese religious cultures to be understood through their specific historical traditions and subsequent modern interpretations. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

Examine how the modern concept of religion emerged in Chinese scholarship and evaluate its impact on historical religious traditions.

September 2, 2026ReligionsOpen Access

Chinese Religious Cultures: Historical Traditions and Modern Interpretations

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Examine how the modern concept of religion emerged in Chinese scholarship and evaluate its impact on historical religious traditions.
Textual and historical analysis of Chinese philosophical and spiritual discourses before and after the twentieth century.
Conceptual tracing of the adoption and adaptation of the Western taxonomic category of religion into modern academic frameworks.
Pre-twentieth-century traditions organized spiritual life around ritual propriety, ancestral veneration, and shared ethical teachings rather than exclusive institutional creeds.
The twentieth-century adoption of modern religious categories introduced structural divides between state-recognized institutional religions and diffuse traditional practices.

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Implication

Historical analysis traces the conceptual evolution of religion in modern China, highlighting shifts from traditional ritual frameworks to Western taxonomic categories.

Abstract

Prior to the twentieth century, Chinese academia lacked the modern concept of “religion” [...]

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Cite This Study

Tang et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a97e275c562ede874ec6a02 https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17091023

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Implication

Historical analysis traces the conceptual evolution of religion in modern China, highlighting shifts from traditional ritual frameworks to Western taxonomic categories.

Abstract

Prior to the twentieth century, Chinese academia lacked the modern concept of “religion” [...]

Chinese Religious Cultures: Historical Traditions and Modern Interpretations

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Implication

Abstract

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Cite This Study

Chinese Religious Cultures: Historical Traditions and Modern Interpretations

Key Points

No abstract yet

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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