Religion in China Trivia Quiz

Answer: Uyghurs

The Uyghurs constitute about half of the population in Xinjiang, a large autonomous region in the northwest portion of China, abutting many countries including Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. It was annexed by the Qing dynasty in the 18th century.

The Uyghurs have their own language, which is related to Turkish. They are Muslim. Denied by China, others have accused the government of genocide and religious persecution of the Uyghur population. Mosques have had minarets and inscriptions removed, and some have been destroyed. Player pusdoc just hajj to include this question for Phoenix Rising's Red Crew.

Answer: Recognized some formerly excommunicated bishops

When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) brought the Peoples Republic of China to fruition in 1949, all religions came under intense scrutiny by the government. The state did not recognize the declarations and appointments by the Pope and local Bishops. This was a time of oppression for the practicing Catholics and clergy if they were unapproved by the state.
While decades passed, many letters and visits occurred but China still wanted to control Papal appointees. In 2018, during the time of Pope Francis, an agreement was made that allowed China to appoint clergy, but the Holy See had final authority. But soon after, the Chinese government essentially went against the agreement by not recognizing the Holy See's approval. The agreement was to be renewed every two years. While full religious freedom was not achieved, the Catholic church felt that it was a step in the right direction by having open communication with the Chinese government.
Jaknginger appointed this question into the PR Red Crew's quiz.

Answer: John of Montecorvino

John of Montecorvino was born in Montecorvino in southwest Italy. He was given the mission in China by Pope Nicholas IV. He arrived in Khanbalig, present-day Beijing, in 1294. This was during the time of Marco Polo. John converted many Chinese during the period of the Yuan dynasty. Several churches were founded during his time in China. Due to his success, Pope Clement V had John consecrated as Archbishop of Peking. John had a successful mission in China for over 30 years until his death around 1328. During the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, all Christians were sent out of the country. This question was added by jaknginger of PR's Red Crew.

Answer: Canton

Canton is now called Guangzhou, and is one of China's three largest cities. It is 75 miles north of Hong Kong, and serves as a provincial capital. Christian missionaries were banned from China but were able to enter after the First Opium War in the mid 19th century. Prior to that, one of the best known Protestant missionaries is Robert Morrison, a Presbyterian who arrived in China in 1807 and worked there for 27 years. He produced a Chinese translation of the Bible, a Chinese dictionary for westerners, and built schools and dispensaries. He faced opposition on many fronts, including from the Roman Catholic leadership. Despite the hardships faced by Morrison and other Protestant missionaries, their work was ultimately successful; it is likely that the number of Christians in China outnumbers those in France or Germany, with Protestants representing about 3% of the Chinese population. It is estimated that 22 million worship in "underground," non-sanctioned churches. Persecution of Christians and destruction of churches continues to occur in China.

This question was offered up by player pusdoc of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew

Answer: Yin and Yang

In the Chinese cosmology, everything is made of duologies, two forces that are opposite in action, but fit together in harmony to create a complementary whole. Yin is the dark and yang is the light, opposite concepts fitting together as seamlessly as night and day. Male and female, order and disorder, or winter and summer are a few other examples of these opposing duologies.
The concept of Yin and Yang dates back as far as the 3rd century BCE and has its roots in Taoism. It was proposed by cosmologist Zou Yan at the Chinese school 'Yinyang' and the philosophy was accepted by the Chinese people.
Environmental harmonisation is feng shui, which, very basically, is harmony in your surrounds. Yang sheng is the nourishing life traditions that encourage self-healing and tai chi (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) is translated as shadow boxing.
Phoenix Rising's leith90, who believes in the opposites of white and dark chocolate, composed this question.

Answer: Protestantism

The People's Republic of China recognises five religions, despite being an atheist state. The traditional Chinese religion is Taoism, while the other four have been imported into the country from abroad: Buddhism, Islam, and two branches of Christianity - Catholicism and Protestantism.
Protestant Christianity took hold in China in the 19th Century and continues to grow at a great rate. There are estimated to be approximately 40 to 60 million protestant Christians in China. The attraction appears in part to be due to informal 'house churches' that appeal more than larger structures controlled by the government
Red Crew's smpdit counts the religions into the quiz.

Answer: Judaism

The Kaifeng Jews is a small community of Jewish people in the Henan Province of China. It is thought they first established themselves during the Tang (618-907) or Song (960-1279) Dynasties. It is thought the Jewish merchants arrived overland via the Silk Road but some think it more likely to have been by sea and through the coastal towns of Canton or Quonzhou. Over time, as these Jews assimilated into the Chinese culture, Judaism all but died out; however, recently there have been efforts to revive the religion in the region. Phoenix Rising's leith90 had a mitzvah (commandment) to enter this question into the quiz.

Answer: Tomb-sweeping Day

It is held in early April each year, and is celebrated by Chinese people in many Asian countries, not just China. Families gather at the gravesites of their ancestors, burning incense, leaving offerings of food and drink and cleaning the grave. It has been celebrated for over 2,500 years.
The Ghost Festival and the Double Ninth Festival also commemorate ancestors and deceased relatives but are held later in the year, in August and September, respectively.
The Mooncake Festival celebrates the end of the Harvest season, in late September.

Red Crew's Ozzz2002 swept up with this question.

Answer: USA

Falun Gong was founded in China in the 1990s by Li Hongzhi. It has similarities to some aspects of Buddhism and Taoism. In an attempt to achieve spiritual enlightenment, meditation and breathing exercises known as qigong are employed alongside a moral code or philosophy.

Initially this was seen as a good thing by the Chinese authorities, but things changed as the movement grew. In 1999 the CCP leadership renounced Falun Gong as a heretical organisation, and subsequently practitioners have been imprisoned and suffered human rights abuses.

The movement continued to grow in other countries outside of China. Dragon Springs is a compound in Deerpark, New York. Phoenix Rising's Red crew member smpdit reflects on the three tenets: truthfulness, compassion and forbearance and hopes to embody all three.

Answer: Mohism

The Mohists were followers of the ancient philosopher Mozi, who lived in the 4th century BC. The principle Mozi touted concerned universal regard for others, which has been translated in a more salacious manner as "universal love." The school of philosophy arose during the tumultuous "Hundred Schools of Thought" period. Mohism was one of the major philosophic schools initially, but basically disappeared (or was subsumed) after the changes wrought by the Qin dynasty in the 200s BC. Of note, despite their anti-military stance, the Mohists were excellent siege-defense engineers.

Many of the Mohist tenets were adopted by the Confucians, and thus serve as part of the underpinning for Chinese thought as represented by the "three teachings" - the harmonious combination of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. Player pusdoc put a lot of thought into this question for Phoenix Rising's Red Crew.