Religion and Thought in Modern China: the Song, Jin, and Yuan

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

About this Course

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This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focus will be on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For each of these moments, cultural facts and artifacts—thought, literature, ritual—will be examined in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems.
The first two courses will cover the periods of the Warring States (481-256 BCE) and the Period of Division (220-589 CE), with a brief excursion into the Han (206 BCE-220 CE). The Warring States laid the social and cultural foundations for the emergence of the imperial mode of rationality; the Period of Division saw the Buddhist “conquest” of China and the emergence of a rationality defined by the opposition of the Three Teachings to shamanism, that is, of a clear contrast between elite and popular culture.

The third and fourth courses will focus on the emergence of modern China in the Song-Yuan (960-1368) and of today’s China 1850 to the present. We will see how the modern attack on religion, redefined as "superstition", led not only to religious reform movements but also to a society in which science and the nation became the primary value systems promoted by the state.

The courses are listed below:

A Critical Cultural History of China - Early China I: Intellectual Change in the Warring States and Han (481 BCE-220 CE)
A Critical Cultural History of China - Early China II: Religious Transformation in the Period of Division (220-589 CE)
A Critical Cultural History of China - Modern China I: Religion and Thought in the Song, Jin, and Yuan (960-1368) 
A Critical Cultural History of China - Modern China II: Structuring Values (1850-2015)

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Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

Instructor

Prof. John Lagerwey

Research Professor

Centre for China Studies

3,160 Learners

4 Courses

Offered by

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Founded in 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a forward looking comprehensive research university with a global vision and a mission to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West. CUHK teachers and students hail from all corners of the world. CUHK graduates are connected worldwide through an expansive alumni network.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

Week 1

2 hours to complete

Module 13 Modern China

This module presents what is unique to the Song dynasty: why it can be called “modern”; how the Three Teachings were transformed and interiorization and rationalization reached new heights; how both Buddhism and Daoism, while continuing to criticize popular religion, also learned to cooperate with it.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 93 min)

7 videos

M13.1 Historical background16m

M13.2 Religious change Introduction4m

M13.3 Daoism9m

M13.4 Chaoyuantu19m

M13.5 Buddhist and Daoist altars9m

M13.6 The United Front16m

M13.7 Daoxue as the religion of empire19m

7 practice exercises

M13.1 Historical background6m

M13.2 Religious change Introduction4m

M13.3 Daoism6m

M13.4 Chaoyuantu4m

M13.5 Buddhist and Daoist altars8m

M13.6 The United Front10m

M13.7 Daoxue as the religion of empire10m

Week

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Module 14 State Religion

This module is about how the state, relying on the Confucian classics, controlled religion and also supported it; how the Northern Song dynasty heavily favoured Daoism, and how this allowed the deification of its ancestors not only but even of the ruling emperor.

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 37 min)

4 videos

M14.1 State control of religion7m

M14.2 Dynastic ancestors8m

M14.3 Huizong12m

M14.4 The role of Confucianism8m

4 practice exercises

M14.1 State control of religion6m

M14.2 Dynastic ancestors8m

M14.3 Huizong10m

M14.4 The role of Confucianism10m

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Module 15 Local Society

This module shows Chinese religion at the village level, how each of the four religions has its own niche, and how the earth god was at the center of the village in the Song period.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 66 min)

5 videos

M15.1 The village earth god association17m

M15.2 Village earth gods10m

M15.3 Buddhists, Daoists, and kinship institutions6m

M15.4 Shamans19m

M15.5 Chen Chun11m

5 practice exercises

M15.1 The village earth god association12m

M15.2 Village earth gods16m

M15.3 Buddhists, Daoists, and kinship institutions10m

M15.4 Shamans12m

M15.5 Chen Chun6m

Week

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Module 16 Daoism in the Song and Jin

This module explains how Heavenly Master Daoism came to the fore and became a collaborator with popular religion; why this meant an increased focus on exorcism; how Daoist self-cultivation became radically dualist.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 56 min)

5 videos

M16.1 The Universal Salvation ritual14m

M16.2 Daoist marshals15m

M16.3 The Orthodox Method of the Heart of Heaven11m

M16.4 The Heavenly Masters and the universal pantheon9m

M16.5 Daoist self-cultivation5m

5 practice exercises

M16.1 The Universal Salvation ritual14m

M16.2 Daoist marshals12m

M16.3 The Orthodox Method of the Heart of Heaven6m

M16.4 The Heavenly Masters and the universal pantheon8m

M16.5 Daoist self-cultivation8m

Week

Week 5

2 hours to complete

Module 17 Buddhism in the Song

We are going to learn the two main forms of Buddhism in the Song, the more elite Chan, first to gain state support, and the more popular Tiantai, which created lay associations and rituals for lay persons.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 54 min)

5 videos

M17.1 Chan self-cultivation18m

M17.2 Tiantai ritual13m

M17.3 Ritual as self-cultivation5m

M17.4 Rituals for the laity8m

M17.5 Self-cultivation and ritual innovation8m

5 practice exercises

M17.1 Chan self-cultivation10m

M17.2 Tiantai ritual8m

M17.3 Ritual as self-cultivation8m

M17.4 Rituals for the laity6m

M17.5 Self-cultivation and ritual innovation8m

Week

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Module 18 Dunhuang

This module describes the emergence of a culture of Buddhist cave worship during the Period of Division. You can learn how cave murals and statues, together with texts for the water-land ritual, made the Pure Land something very concrete and real for Chinese Buddhists.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 71 min)

6 videos

M18.1 Cave culture8m

M18.2 Big Buddhas6m

M18.3.1 In Buddhist ritual19m

M18.4.1 The central mural and karmic enmity7m

M18.4.2 The sixteen contemplations22m

M18.4.3 The final three contemplations7m

6 practice exercises

M18.1 Cave culture10m

M18.2 Big Buddhas6m

M18.3.1 In Buddhist ritual22m

M18.4.1 The central mural and karmic enmity12m

M18.4.2 The sixteen contemplations10m

M18.4.3 The final three contemplations6m

Week

Week 7

2 hours to complete

Module 19 Confucianism in the Song 1

This module explores the formation of Daoxue’s two strains, the one (Lu Jiuyuan) more inclusive, the other (Zhu Xi) more exclusive how Daoxue became state orthodoxy.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 67 min)

6 videos

M19.1 Background13m

M19.2 The precursors14m

M19.3 The Cheng brothers8m

M19.4 Zhu Xi10m

M19.5 Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan5m

M19.6 Zhu Xi’s exclusions14m

6 practice exercises

M19.1 Background8m

M19.2 The precursors14m

M19.3 The Cheng brothers10m

M19.4 Zhu Xi8m

M19.5 Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan8m

M19.6 Zhu Xi’s exclusions12m

Week

Week 8

2 hours to complete

Module 20 Confucianism in the Song 2

This module illustrates how the dualism of Han and Tang Confucians was overcome by Zhu Xi and how this is related to 1) his creation of the new canon of the Four Books; 2) a positive view of the emotions; and 3) his interest in local social institutions. Understand the special place of academies in the Daoxue landscape.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 57 min)

5 videos

M20.1 Before Zhu Xi9m

M20.2 Zhu Xi: What and how to read11m

M20.3 The role of cosmology and ritual21m

M20.4 The role of the elite9m

M20.5 Daoxue academies5m

5 practice exercises

M20.1 Before Zhu Xi6m

M20.2 Zhu Xi: What and how to read12m

M20.3 The role of cosmology and ritual8m

M20.4 The role of the elite8m

M20.5 Daoxue academies6m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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Is financial aid available?

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Religion and Thought in Modern China: the Song, Jin, and Yuan