Religion's Comeback: China's Flagging Economy Drives People to Temples

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Worshippers at Beijing's Yonghe Temple: Gate of Prosperity

Photograph:

Peter Schickert via www.imago-im / imago images/Peter Schickert

Most recently, it was the People's Republic's foreign trade that declined drastically. But the Chinese economy is still in a rather bad state in other respects as well. The comeback after Corona is stuttering - and due to the strict zero-Covid policy, many lost their jobs, especially in small companies. Young people are particularly affected.

However, this economically bleak situation is leading to a comeback in another field: religion. More and more young people are visiting temples and other sites to pray for a recovery of the economy, as reported by CNN, among others.

In the spring of this year, for example, more than five times as many people visited the Yonghe Temple in central Beijing as a year ago, CNN reported, citing a survey by a Chinese travel portal and the social media platform Xiaohongshu. The main gate of the site, also known as the Lama Temple, is considered a gate of prosperity, among other things.

Tourism industry relies on the "smoking youth"

But not only there, but also nationwide, temple visits have multiplied, according to the broadcaster, citing the survey. Particularly striking, therefore, is the revival of faith among younger people. On social media, they advertise their prayers and report on their rites. In Chinese tourism, the "smoking youth", who ask for fortune with incense sticks in the temples, is now said to be an important target group for tour operators.

China is officially considered an atheist country. But Buddhism and Taoism in particular are widespread and belong to the culture, there are numerous temples and monasteries spread across the country – but other places are also popular with religious pilgrims.

According to CNN, for example, a company that offers trips around Mount Emei in the southwestern province of Sichuan recorded a significant increase in guests – even compared to the pre-Covid period. The Emei is considered one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains. Also at Longhu Mountain, a birthplace of Taoism, there were significantly more visitors.

Incidentally, the fact that religion can often be economically well-calculated even away from such pilgrimages was shown a few years ago by the US macroeconomist Robert J. Barro and the moral philosopher Rachel M. McCleary from Harvard University. They found that faith can be economically rewarding.

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