32 Orthodoxy and Religious Practice in Pre-modern China

List of contents

Orthodoxy and Religious Practice in Pre-modern China.- Orthopraxis.- State Religion.

About the author

One of the best sinologists of modern times, Guy Alitto is an American academic in the History and East Asian Languages and Civilization Departments at the University of Chicago. He is known in China for revitalizing the scholarship on Chinese Confucian scholar Liang Shuming. He is best known in America for his scholarship and for his role as translator for the first official Chinese delegations to the United States after Richard Nixon’s first visits to China.

Summary

This lecture provides an insightful exploration of the dynamics of religious and spiritual practices in Chinese society, particularly focusing on the concepts of orthodoxy and heterodoxy. It delves into the complexities of religious beliefs and organizations in pre-modern China, highlighting the absence of a strict orthodoxy and the prevalence of what could be termed orthopraxis. The lecture elucidates the role of elite religion, notably the state religion of Tian, and its interaction with popular folk religions. Furthermore, it examines the cross-class nature of religious participation and the fluidity between different religious traditions, shedding light on the blurred line between the "great tradition" and the "little tradition" in Chinese civilization.

Product details

• Authors: Guy S. Alitto
• Publisher: Springer EN
• Languages: English
• Product format: Mixed media product
• Release: 13.06.2026
• EAN: 9789819566464
• ISBN: 978-981-9566-46-4
• Illustrations: Approx. 20 p. Book + Online Course.
• Series: The Uniqueness of Chinese Civilization in World History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > Eastern philosophy; China, Kulturwissenschaften, Asiatische Geschichte, Cultural Studies, History of China, Chinese philosophy, syncretism, Folk Religion, Orthopraxis, State Religion, Cross-Class Participation