Back to Religion and Thought in Modern China: the Song, Jin, and Yuan
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Religion and Thought in Modern China: the Song, Jin, and Yuan

This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focus will be on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For each of these moments, cultural facts and artifacts—thought, literature, ritual—will be examined in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems. The first two courses will cover the periods of the Warring States (481-256 BCE) and the Period of Division (220-589 CE), with a brief excursion into the Han (206 BCE-220 CE). The Warring States laid the social and cultural foundations for the emergence of the imperial mode of rationality; the Period of Division saw the Buddhist “conquest” of China and the emergence of a rationality defined by the opposition of the Three Teachings to shamanism, that is, of a clear contrast between elite and popular culture. The third and fourth courses will focus on the emergence of modern China in the Song-Yuan (960-1368) and of today’s China 1850 to the present. We will see how the modern attack on religion, redefined as "superstition", led not only to religious reform movements but also to a society in which science and the nation became the primary value systems promoted by the state. The courses are listed below: A Critical Cultural History of China - Early China I: Intellectual Change in the Warring States and Han (481 BCE-220 CE) A Critical Cultural History of China - Early China II: Religious Transformation in the Period of Division (220-589 CE) A Critical Cultural History of China - Modern China I: Religion and Thought in the Song, Jin, and Yuan (960-1368) A Critical Cultural History of China - Modern China II: Structuring Values (1850-2015)

Status: Policy Analysis
Status: Economics
Course28 hours

Featured reviews

JS

4.0Reviewed Jul 30, 2019

pretty good comprehensive course. Too many quizzes

LG

5.0Reviewed May 4, 2021

loved this course! definitely worth looking into if you would like to know more about the different religions and practices in ancient China.

KL

4.0Reviewed Sep 23, 2020

Comprehensive analysis of religion's influence on Chinese government. It would be helpful if you understand Mandarin Chinese before taking this course.

R

5.0Reviewed Jan 26, 2019

Challenging course but it was very satisfying to be able to glimpse the complexity of religious thought in China during the Song, Jin, and Yuan. Thanks you, Professor..on to Part 4!

PB

5.0Reviewed Mar 25, 2020

Thoroughly enjoyed the course! This course has introduced me to so many new reading materials. Thank you.

All reviews

Showing: 16 of 16

Patricia Chang
2.0
Reviewed Jul 12, 2019
Lucia Goeller
5.0
Reviewed May 5, 2021
Pavankumar Bentur
5.0
Reviewed Mar 26, 2020
Joy Smith
4.0
Reviewed Jul 31, 2019
Benn
3.0
Reviewed Nov 15, 2020
David Stewart
5.0
Reviewed Dec 1, 2020
Alejandro Pescador
5.0
Reviewed Oct 18, 2019
rosalyn slater (Roz)
5.0
Reviewed Jan 27, 2019
Felipe de Andrade Sanches
5.0
Reviewed Jan 21, 2020
Fabio Villa
5.0
Reviewed Mar 30, 2020
Ксения Ковалева
5.0
Reviewed Dec 9, 2019
Trent Trepanier
5.0
Reviewed May 8, 2019
Swathi Santhosh
5.0
Reviewed Oct 18, 2024
Kam Lee
4.0
Reviewed Sep 24, 2020
3.0
Reviewed Mar 26, 2020
منير حنظل
2.0
Reviewed Oct 15, 2023