Editing Manchu people (section)

=== Religion ===
Originally, Manchus, and their predecessors, were principally Buddhists with Shamanist influences. Every Manchu King started his royal title with Buddha. After the conquest of China in the 17th century, Manchus came into contact with Chinese culture. They adopted Confucianism along with Buddhism and discouraged shamanism.

==== Manchu shamanism ====
{{Main|Manchu shamanism}}
{{See also|Shamanism in the Qing dynasty}}

[[Shamanism]] has a [[Shamanism in the Qing dynasty|long history in Manchu civilization]] and influenced them tremendously over thousands of years. [[John Keay]] states in ''A History of China'', shaman is the single loan-word from Manchurian into the English language.{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} After the [[Qing conquest of the Ming|conquest of China]] in the 17th century, although Manchus officially adopted Buddhism and widely adopted Chinese folk religion, Shamanic traditions can still be found in the aspects of soul worship, totem worship, belief in nightmares and apotheosis of philanthropists.<ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|98–106}} Apart from the Shamanic shrines in the Qing palace, no temples erected for worship of Manchu gods could be found in Beijing.<ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|95}} Thus, the story of competition between Shamanists and Lamaists was often heard in Manchuria but the Manchu emperors helped Lamaists or Tibetan Buddhists officially.<ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|95}}

==== Buddhism ====
Jurchens, the predecessors of the Manchus adopted the [[Buddhism]] of [[Balhae]], [[Goryeo]], [[Liao dynasty|Liao]] and [[Song dynasty|Song]] in the 10–13th centuries,<ref name=buddhism>{{Cite web |url=http://www.manchus.cn/plus/view.php?aid=378 |title=The Relation of Manchu Emperors and Buddhism |access-date=21 June 2012 |archive-date=21 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621061730/http://www.manchus.cn/plus/view.php?aid=378 |url-status=dead }}</ref> so it was not something new to the rising Manchus in the 16–17th centuries. Qing emperors were always entitled "Buddha". They were regarded as [[Mañjuśrī]] in [[Tibetan Buddhism]]<ref name=meng2006/>{{rp|5}} and had high attainments.<ref name=buddhism/><ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|95}}

[[Hong Taiji]] who was of Mongolian descent started leaning towards Chan Buddhism, the original Chinese form known in Japan as Zen Buddhism. Still, Huangtaiji patronized Tibetan Buddhism extensively and publicly.{{sfn|Wakeman|1986|p=203}}<ref name=cambridge>{{cite book |title = The Cambridge History of China: Pt. 1; The Ch'ing Empire to 1800 |url = {{Google books|hi2THl2FUZ4C|plainurl=yes}}|year=1978 |publisher = Cambridge University Press |isbn = 978-0-521-24334-6|pages=64–65}}</ref> Huangtaiji patronized Buddhism but sometimes felt Tibetan Buddhism to be inferior to Chan Buddhism.<ref name=cambridge/>

The [[Qianlong Emperor]]'s faith in [[Tibetan Buddhism]] has been questioned in recent times because the emperor indicated that he supported the Yellow Church (the Tibetan Buddhist [[Gelukpa]] sect)<ref name=dunnelletal>{{cite book |title = New Qing Imperial History: The Making of Inner Asian Empire at Qing Chengde |first1 = Ruth W. |last1 = Dunnell |first2 = Mark C. |last2 = Elliott |first3 = Philippe |last3 = Foret |first4 = James A |last4 = Millward |year = 2004 |publisher = Routledge |url = {{Google books|6qFH-53_VnEC|plainurl=yes}} |isbn = 978-1134362226 }}</ref>{{rp|123–4}}

This explanation of only supporting the "Yellow Hats" Tibetan Buddhists for practical reasons was used to deflect Han criticism of this policy by the Qianlong Emperor, who had the "Lama Shuo" stele engraved in Tibetan, Mongol, Manchu and Chinese, which said: "By patronizing the Yellow Church we maintain peace among the Mongols."<ref>{{cite book |title=Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West |first=Donald S. |last=Lopez |year=1999 |url={{Google books|mjUHF7kQfVAC|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=University of Chicago Press |page=20 |isbn=0-226-49310-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=Empire of Emptiness: Buddhist Art and Political Authority in Qing China |first= Patricia Ann |last=Berger |year=2003 |url={{Google books|BsyFU9FwCIkC|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=University of Hawaii Press |page= 35 |isbn=0-8248-2563-2}}</ref> It seems he was wary of the rising power of the Tibetan Kingdom and its influence over the Mongolians and Manchu public, princes and generals.

==== Chinese folk religion ====
Manchus were affected by [[Chinese folk religion]]s for most of the Qing dynasty.<ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|95}} Save for ancestor worship, the gods they consecrated were virtually identical to those of the Han Chinese.<ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|95}} [[Guan Yu]] worship is a typical example. He was considered as the God Protector of the Nation and was sincerely worshipped by Manchus. They called him "Lord Guan" ({{lang|zh-hans|关老爷}}). Uttering his name was taboo.<ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|95}} In addition, Manchus worshipped [[Cai Shen]] and the [[Kitchen God]] just as the Han Chinese did. The worship of Mongolian and Tibetan gods has also been reported.<ref name=jin2009/>{{rp|95}}

==== Christianity ====
===== Roman Catholic =====
Influenced by the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit missionaries]] in China, there were also a considerable number of Manchu Catholics during the Qing dynasty.<ref name=liu2008/>{{rp|183}} The earliest Manchu Catholics appeared in the 1650s.<ref name=liu2008/>{{rp|183}} In the Yongzheng eras, Depei, the Hošo Jiyan Prince, was a [[Catholic]] whose baptismal name was "Joseph". His wife was also baptised and named "Maria".<ref name=liu2008/>{{rp|184}} At the same time, the sons of [[Beile|Doro Beile]] Sunu were devout Catholics, too.<ref name=liu2008/>{{rp|184}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historychina.net/manager/info/inner.jsp?sid=1&cid=29&infoid=24514|title=National Qing History Compilatory Committee: Sunu Research (simplified Chinese)|website=historychina.net|access-date=21 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623113540/http://www.historychina.net/manager/info/inner.jsp?sid=1&cid=29&infoid=24514|archive-date=23 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the Jiaqing period, Tong Hengšan and Tong Lan were Catholic Manchu Bannermen.<ref name=liu2008/>{{rp|184}} These Manchu Catholics who were proselytized were persecuted by Qing emperors but they steadfastly refused to renounce their faith.<ref name=liu2008/>{{rp|184}} There were Manchu Catholics in modern times, too, such as [[Ying Lianzhi]], the founder of [[Fu Jen Catholic University]].