Religions of Beijing

By Bin You

Book Description

Step into the vibrant spiritual landscape of one of the world's most dynamic cities through this remarkable collaborative exploration. This unique work emerges from an extraordinary year-long immersion project where graduate students lived alongside eighteen distinct religious communities throughout greater Beijing, documenting their daily rhythms, seasonal celebrations, and sacred practices.

Rather than observing from the outside, these researchers embraced a "writing with" approach, capturing the authentic voices and lived experiences of practitioners across Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, Islam, and folk religious traditions. Each community's story unfolds through intimate portraits of their histories, spiritual practices, sacred spaces, and devoted members, revealing how ancient traditions continue to flourish and adapt in contemporary China.

The bilingual format makes these stories accessible to both Chinese and English-speaking readers, while accompanying photographs bring the spiritual vitality of these communities to life. You'll discover how ordinary people weave the sacred into their everyday existence, from morning prayers to festival celebrations, from quiet meditation to communal worship.

This collaborative effort between Minzu University of China and Drake University offers something rare in religious studies: an insider's perspective on the remarkable diversity and renewal of spiritual life in modern Beijing. For anyone seeking to understand how faith communities thrive in our interconnected world, this work provides an authentic window into the heart of lived spirituality.