The Souls of China

February 13, 2017
Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who has lived in China on and off over 30 years, reports on his six years of research into the reemergence of religion in China. Using a narrative framing of the Chinese year and its associated cultural and religious holidays, Johnson explores China’s geographic, religious, and cultural diversity through stories from disparate traditions such as an underground Protestant church, practitioners of qigong, fortune-tellers, Beijing pilgrims, and rural Taoist priests. Johnson’s writing is compelling and lyrical, and his research strikes a fluid balance between the political implications of a resurgence of spirituality in a society that for so long suppressed any official religious presence, and the implications for daily life and society found in the complex and human details of this new populist cultural development, including funerals, births, marriages, and applications of government propaganda. The book should appeal to anyone interested in China, and to readers interested in how people use religion and spirituality to forge relationships, build cultures, and make sense of their lives.

Starred review from March 1, 2017
An exploration of the role of faith in contemporary China.Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Johnson (A Mosque in Munich: Nazis, the CIA, and the Muslim Brotherhood in the West, 2010, etc.) delves into the lives of several families and communities as they live out varying faith traditions in China. Along the way, he provides useful history lessons on how religion in China has come to be what it is today. In touching, descriptive prose, Johnson brings his subjects to life amid a colorful backdrop. The author explains that early communist rule had largely tolerated religion as a necessary component of controlling the vast population, especially in rural areas. Under Mao, however, that tolerance evaporated. The leader's war on faith was part of a larger war on civilization itself and served only to destroy much of the fabric of society. "When the Cultural Revolution ended," writes Johnson, "many wondered if they could ever trust anyone again." In the wake of Mao, the state found religion to be a useful tool in rebuilding society and civil trust. However, this did not mean there was to be any meaningful freedom of religion. Johnson points out that China's traditional religions of Daoism, Buddhism, and harder-to-define folk religions enjoy the most latitude. Traditions with foreign ties, such as Christianity, are viewed with much more suspicion. Nevertheless, readers may be surprised to read of church groups such as Early Rain, which seem to operate complex organizations with somewhat limited state interference. Throughout this worthwhile study, the author touches on a wide array of issues related to faith in Chinese culture, including the advent of the technology age, urbanization, respect for the dead, the role of family, and the ever looming communist state. Some may argue that Johnson's work is anecdotal in nature and therefore presents only a sliver of religious life in such a vast nation as China, but the author uses his anecdotal approach to the best possible advantage. Engaging, timely, and humane.

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Starred review from February 15, 2017

Since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, the Chinese government has eased restrictions on religion, which has dramatically increased religious activity. Through interviews conducted with a wide variety of practitioners, Johnson (journalist; Wild Grass) paints a vivid picture of the diversity of Chinese religious life. This work is organized into sections that correspond with the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. The chapters within each section alternate among the stories of four groups: religious pilgrims in Beijing, a family of Daoist musicians in rural Shanxi Province, a Protestant church in Chengdu, and individuals who are masters of particular practices such as Buddhist mediation. The author reveals the conflicted approach that the Chinese government takes regarding religion. While the government encourages traditional religious activity as a source of morality and tourist revenue, it also rigorously monitors religious organizations as it is fearful of any group that can mobilize large numbers of people. Johnson provides a fascinating account of how traditional activities recovered after enduring severe repression during China's Cultural Revolution (1966-76). VERDICT An excellent work that is highly recommended for readers interested in Chinese culture or religion. [See Prepub Alert, 10/17/16.]--Joshua Wallace, Tarleton State Univ. Lib. Stephenville, TX

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