Chinese Buddhism, Chinese and Mongol folk religions (worship of Heaven and aobao)[1] (80%)
Tibetan Buddhism[2] (12.0%)
Undetermined[note 1] (2.64%)
Chinese ancestral religion[3] (2.35%)
Christianity[3] (2%)
Islam[4] (1.00%)
Religion in Inner Mongolia is characterised by the diverse traditions of Mongolian-Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, the Chinese traditional religion including the traditional Chinese ancestral religion, Taoism, Confucianism and folk religious sects, and the Mongolian native religion. The region is inhabited by a majority of Han Chinese and a substantial minority of Southern Mongols (the Mongols of China), so that some religions follow ethnic lines.
According to a survey held in 2004 by the Minzu University of China, about 80% of the population of the region practice the worship of Heaven (that is named Tian in the Chinese tradition and Tenger in the Mongolian tradition) and of aobao.[1] Official statistics report that 12.1% of the population (3 million people) are members of Tibetan Buddhist groups.[2] According to the Chinese Spiritual Life Survey of 2007 and the Chinese General Social Survey of 2009, Christianity is the religious identity of 2% of the population of the region and the Chinese ancestral religion (traditional lineage churches) is the professed belonging of 2.36%,[3] while a demographic analysis of the year 2010 reported that Muslims comprise the 0.91%.[4]
Mongolian Buddhism, which is of the same schools of Tibetan Buddhism, was the dominant religion in Inner Mongolia until the 19th century.[5] Its monastic institution was virtually eradicated during the Cultural Revolution, that was particularly tough against the political power of the lamas.[5] Since the 1980s there has been a modest revival, with the reconstruction of some important monasteries and new smaller temples.[5]
At the same time, there has been an unprecedented development of Mongolian shamanism, especially centered on the cult of Genghis Khan and the Heaven, the former being traditionally considered an embodiment of Heaven itself,[6][7] in special temples (many of which yurt-style), and the cult of aobao as ancestral shrines. The cult of Genghis is also shared by the Han Chinese, claiming his spirit as the founding principle of the Yuan dynasty.[8]
In facts, there has been a significant integration of the Han Chinese of Inner Mongolia into the traditional Mongolian spiritual heritage of the region.[9] Reconstructed Buddhist monasteries and folk temples are massively attended by local Han.[9] Moreover, as elsewhere in China, there has been a growing conscious adoption of the Gelug sect, and other Tibetan-originated Buddhist schools, by the Han Chinese.[9]
^ abFenggang Yang, Graeme Lang. Social Scientific Studies of Religion in China. BRILL, 2012. ISBN 9004182462. pp. 184-185, reporting the results of surveys held in 2004 by the Minzu University of China. Quote from page 185: «[...] the registered adherents of the five official religions comprise only 3.7% of those [populations] in Inner Mongolia. When we compare this final statistic with Minzu University research team's finding that 80% of the inhabitants of Inner Mongolia worship Tian (loosely translated "Heaven") and aobao (traditional stone structures that serve as altars for sacrifice), it is evident that the official calculations of registered religious believers are markedly low, and the policy decisions based on these numbers lack the necessary grounding in reality. [...] Foreign religions can be transformed into indigenous ethnic religions, and the traditional folk religions of China's ethnic minorities can integrate and neutralize non-native religions. Thus, China's ethnic religions should not be regarded as social burdens or challenges, but rather as valuable cultural assets.»
^ abWu, Jiayu; Fang, Yong (January 2016). "Study on the Protection of the Lama Temple Heritage in Inner Mongolia as a Cultural Landscape". Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering. 15 (1): 9–16.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Note that the article, in an evident mistranslation from Chinese, reports 30 million Tibetan Buddhists in Inner Mongolia instead of 3 million.
^ abcChinese Spiritual Life Survey (CSLS) 2007, China General Social Survey (CGSS) 2009. Results reported by: Xiuhua Wang (2015, p. 15)
^ abMin Junqing. The Present Situation and Characteristics of Contemporary Islam in China. JISMOR, 8. 2010 Islam by province, page 29. Data from: Yang Zongde, Study on Current Muslim Population in China, Jinan Muslim, 2, 2010.
^ abcWallace, 2015. p. 282
^Man, 2004. pp. 402-404
^Man, 2005. pp. 22-23
^Man, 2005. p. 23
^ abcGoossaert, Palmer. 2011. p. 369
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
and 30 Related for: Religion in Inner Mongolia information
ReligioninInnerMongolia is characterised by the diverse traditions of Mongolian-Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, the Chinese traditional religion...
ReligioninMongolia has been traditionally dominated by the schools of Mongolian Buddhism and by Mongolian shamanism, the ethnic religion of the Mongols...
contains Mongolian script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of text inMongolian script. Inner Mongolia...
Christians are a minority in the InnerMongolia region of the People's Republic of China. There are Eastern Orthodox Churches in Labdarin, Manzhou, and Hailar...
movement for the independence of InnerMongolia (also known as Southern Mongolia) and the political separation of InnerMongolia from the People's Republic...
Freedom of religionin China may be referring to the following entities separated by the Taiwan Strait: In the People's Republic of China (PRC), freedom...
Christianity inMongolia is a minority religion. In 2020, Christians made up 1.94% of the population. Most Christians inMongolia became Christian after...
archdiocese located in the city of Hohhot in China. December 21, 1883: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Southwestern Mongolia 西南蒙古 from the Apostolic...
independent, theocratic state that included InnerMongolia, Barga (also known as Hulunbuir), Upper Mongolia, Western Mongolia and Tannu Uriankhai ("pan-Mongolism")...
"leagues") and the six InnerMongolian aimags from the 17th century to the end of the dynasty. The term "Mongolia" is used here in the broader historical...
The Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (majority inInnerMongolia), as well as Buryatia and Kalmykia of Russia. The Mongols...
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of 1,564,116 square kilometres...
Mongolian names have undergone a number of changes in the history of Mongolia, both with regard to their meaning and their source languages. InInner...
discovered inInnerMongolia New prehistoric discoveries in Alxa League, InnerMongolia New prehistoric discoveries in Alxa League, InnerMongolia Archived...
of the residents of Mongolia and many of the ethnic Mongol residents of the InnerMongolia of China. InMongolia, Khalkha Mongolian is predominant, and...
were directed at Japan, which had occupied Manchuria and advanced into InnerMongolia, and had as their object the protection of the Soviet Trans-Siberian...
Khanbaliq (present-day Beijing). Shangdu is located in the present-day Zhenglan Banner, InnerMongolia. In June 2012, it was made a World Heritage Site for...
as the writing system in the InnerMongolia region of China, which continues to use the traditional Mongolian script. Mongolian Cyrillic is the most recent...
Zinimen(sis), Chinese: 集寧) is a diocese located in Jining (Ulanqab) in the ecclesiastical province of Suiyuan in China. February 8, 1929: Established as Apostolic...
shrine]") are cairns used as border markers or shrines inMongolian folk religious practice and in the religion of other Mongolic peoples. While some ovoos simply...
simply the Mongolian script, has been the predominant script during most of Mongolian history, and is still in active use today in the InnerMongolia region...
Islam inMongolia is practiced by approximately 3 to 5% of the population. It is practised by the ethnic Kazakhs of Bayan-Ölgii Province (88.7% of total...
this classical vertical script continue to be used inMongolia and InnerMongolia to write Mongolian, Xibe and, experimentally, Evenki. Computer operating...
Chinese folk religionin Southeast Asia Northeast China folk religionReligioninInnerMongoliaReligionin Hong Kong Religionin Macau Religionin Northeast...
resistance that resulted in a relatively bloodless separation from the Qing Empire. Many Barga and InnerMongolian chieftains assisted in the revolution and...
Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and InnerMongolia until the 20th century. The clan formed the ruling class among...
there are 6,290,204 Mongols in China, a 0.45% increase from the 2010 national census. Most of them live inInnerMongolia, Northeast China, Xinjiang and...