Xuanyuandao (軒轅道 "Way of Xuanyuan"), also known as Xuanyuanism (軒轅教) or Huangdiism (黄帝教), is a
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...
folk religion
Folk religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises, according to religious studies and folkloristics, various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
which was founded in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
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,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, in 1952.
[Goossaert, Palmer. 2011. p. 295] The founder was Wang Hansheng (王寒生) (1899–1989), a
legislator
A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-nat ...
. The Church of Xuanyuan aims to restore the "national religion" of archaic (pre-
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
) China,
with
Huangdi as the universal God.
Theology and practices
The Church of Xuanyuan subsumes all the ways of worship to local deities under one national god,
Xuanyuan Huangdi (軒轅黄帝 "Xuanyuan the Yellow Deity"). According to the ''
Shiji
The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st cen ...
'', Xuanyuan was the name of Huangdi,
[Clart, Jones. 2003. p. 60] and he is traditionally considered the thearch (
progenitor
In genealogy, a progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; or ''Ahnherr'') is the founder (sometimes one that is legendary) of a family, line of descent, gens, clan, tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines Geschlec ...
god) of the
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...
race.
Xuanyuanism is based on Confucian rationalism, and therefore rejects practices it considers superstitious that are found in other sects of Chinese folk religion, such as scripture writing through god mediumship.
[''Journal of Chinese Religions'', 1997, n. 25. p. 18]
Diffusion
As of 2013 the Xuanyuandao has 200,000 adherents in Taiwan and is also active in China, where it runs temples, schools, and members take part in the sacrifices celebrated at the
Xuanyuan Temple, the largest temple dedicated to Huangdi in the world. Huangdi is also worshipped in
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion comprises a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. This includes the veneration of ''Shen (Chinese folk religion), shen'' ('spirits') and Chinese ancestor worship, ances ...
by millions of people who do not necessarily belong to the Church of Xuanyuan.
See also
*
Chinese salvationist religions
Chinese salvationist religions or Chinese folk religious sects are a Chinese religious tradition characterised by a concern for salvation (moral fulfillment) of the person and the society.; ''passim'' They are distinguished by egalitarianism, a f ...
*
Confucian church
The Confucian church ( or ) is a Confucian religious and social institution of the congregational type. It was first proposed by Kang Youwei (1858–1927) near the end of the 19th century, as a state religion of Qing China following a Europe ...
Footnotes
References
Sources
* Christian Jochim,
Carrying Confucianism into the Modern World: The Taiwan Case. In Philip Clart, Charles Brewer Jones. ''Religion in Modern Taiwan: Tradition and Innovation in a Changing Society''. University of Hawaii Press, 2003. ), pp. 48–83.
* Goossaert, Vincent, David Palmer. ''The Religious Question in Modern China''. University of Chicago Press, 2011.
* Patricia Eichenbaum Karetzky.
Journal of Chinese Religions'. Fall 1997, No. 25.
1952 establishments in Taiwan
Chinese salvationist religions
Religious Confucianism
Religion in Taiwan
Religious organizations established in 1952
{{Religious Confucianism