China’s propaganda office taps Taiwanese god of cities as ally

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The Chinese language Communist Occasion’s United Entrance Work Division is relying on a brand new ally within the battle to influence Taiwan’s 23 million folks to surrender their democratic lifestyle to be dominated by Beijing -- Cheng Huang, the god of cities.

Officers within the southeastern province of Fujian, simply throughout the Taiwan Strait from self-ruled Taiwan, invited lots of of Taoists, temple representatives, students and consultants to a lavish cultural alternate occasion final month, based on the provincial authorities’s official web site.

The occasion included seminars on Cheng Huang temples throughout Fujian in addition to beliefs across the god in Taiwan, significantly in smaller cities on the island, the Nov. 14 report mentioned.

Cheng Huang isn’t the primary supernatural being to be enlisted by the Chinese language Communist Occasion in pursuit of its political targets, on this case, to manage Taiwan, whether or not by delicate energy and propaganda or by navy pressure if crucial.

China has already tried to co-opt the ocean goddess Matsu, extensively revered in Taiwan, as a part of a United Entrance operation concentrating on tens of millions of voters.

And it has additionally inspired the worship of the controversial Tibetan dharma protector Shugden, a transfer at loggerheads with the Tibetan Buddhist Gelugpa sect of the exiled religious chief, the Dalai Lama.

A person locations incense sticks on the Taishan Up Temple, a Taoist temple in-built 1754, New Taipei Metropolis, Taiwan, March 2, 2023. (Sam Yeh/AFP) The United Entrance is a shadowy authorities company in control of searching for Chinese language affect exterior the nation by people and sometimes innocuous-sounding organizations.

The Chinese language Communist Occasion embraces atheism and workouts tight controls over any type of non secular observe amongst its residents, requiring them to affix government-backed governing our bodies and to show the Chinese language flag, together with different demonstrations of loyalty to Beijing.

However apparently it isn’t against utilizing faith to additional its political aims.

Non secular cross-straits hyperlinks

Cheng Huang emerged in Chinese language people perception as a spirit protector of metropolis partitions and moats, and later diversified right into a extra advanced deity together with his personal following and underworld forms mirroring buildings discovered within the land of the dwelling.

“Cheng Huang tradition is among the essential hyperlinks connecting compatriots on either side of the Taiwan Strait,” the report quoted Cheng Ming-hui of Taiwan’s Wuji Sanching Temple as saying.

“I hope we are able to to carry extra such actions sooner or later to additional improve the understanding and friendship between believers on either side of the Taiwan Strait,” Cheng mentioned.

Worshippers carry the Matsu statue, heart, in the course of the annual pilgrimage in honor of sea goddess Matsu in Dajia, Taiwan, April 17, 2010. (Pichi Chuang/Reuters) Taiwan has by no means been dominated by Beijing and is formally ruled by the Republic of China authorities, fashioned after the 1911 fall of the Qing Dynasty underneath Solar Yat-sen, that later fled to Taipei after dropping the civil warfare in 1949 to Mao Zedong’s communists on the mainland.

Whereas China insists on eventual “unification” with Taiwan, by armed invasion if crucial, the vast majority of Taiwan’s 23 million folks haven't any want to hand over their democratic lifestyle to undergo Chinese language rule.