Editing Han Chinese (section)

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Chinese folk religion|Three teachings|Chinese folk religion in Southeast Asia|Religion in China}}
[[File:Confucius_Laozi_Buddha.jpg|thumb|[[Confucius]] handing over an infant [[Gautama Buddha]] to an elderly [[Laozi]]]]
[[Confucianism]], [[Daoism]], and [[Chinese Buddhism]], as well as other various traditional homegrown Chinese philosophies, have influenced not only Han Chinese culture, but also the [[East Asian religions|neighboring cultures in East Asia]]. Chinese spiritual culture has been long characterized by [[religious pluralism]] and [[Chinese folk religion]] has always maintained a profound influence within the confines of Chinese civilization both historically and in the modern era. Indigenous Confucianism and Taoism share aspects of being a philosophy or a religion and neither demand exclusive adherence, resulting in a culture of tolerance and [[syncretism]], where multiple religions or belief systems are often practiced in conjunction with local customs and traditions. Han culture has for long been influenced by [[Mahayana Buddhism]], while in recent centuries [[Christianity in China|Christianity]] has also gained a foothold among the population.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Anderlini|first=Jamil|date=7 November 2014|title=The rise of Christianity in China|url=https://www.ft.com/content/a6d2a690-6545-11e4-91b1-00144feabdc0|access-date=4 January 2021|website=www.ft.com|language=en-GB|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215031743/https://www.ft.com/content/a6d2a690-6545-11e4-91b1-00144feabdc0|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chinese folk religion is a set of worship traditions of the [[Shen (Chinese religion)|ethnic deities]] of the Han people. It involves the worship of various extraordinary figures in [[Chinese mythology]] and [[History of China|history]], heroic personnel such as [[Guan Yu]] and [[Qu Yuan]], mythological creatures such as the [[Chinese dragon]] or family, clan and national ancestors. These practices vary from region to region and do not characterize an organized religion, though many [[List of observances set by the Chinese calendar|traditional Chinese holidays]] such as the [[Dragon Boat Festival|Duanwu (or Dragon Boat) Festival]], [[Qingming Festival]], [[Ghost Festival|Zhongyuan Festival]] and the [[Mid-Autumn Festival]] come from the most popular of these traditions.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

[[Taoism]], another [[indigenous religion|indigenous Han philosophy and religion]], is also widely practiced by the Han in both its folk forms and as an organized religion with its traditions having been a source of vestigial perennial influence on Chinese art, poetry, philosophy, [[Taoist music|music]], [[Traditional Chinese medicine|medicine]], [[Chinese astronomy|astronomy]], [[Neidan]] and [[Chinese alchemy|alchemy]], [[Taoist diet|dietary habits]], [[Neijia]] and other [[Chinese martial arts|martial arts]] and [[Chinese architecture|architecture]]. Taoism was the state religion during the Han and Tang eras where it also often enjoyed state patronage under subsequent emperors and successive ruling dynasties.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Confucianism, although sometimes described as a religion, is another indigenous governing philosophy and moral code with some religious elements like ancestor worship. It continues to be deeply ingrained in modern Chinese culture and was the official state philosophy in ancient China during the [[Han dynasty]] and until the [[Fall of the Qing dynasty|fall of imperial China in the 20th century]] (though it is worth noting that there is a [[New Confucianism|movement in China today advocating that the culture be "re-Confucianized")]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jiang |first1=Yi-Huah | title=Confucian Political Theory in Contemporary China |journal=Annual Review of Political Science |year=2018 |volume=21 |pages=155–173 |doi=10.1146/annurev-polisci-041916-020230 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

During the Han dynasty, [[Confucian]] ideals were the dominant ideology. Near the end of the dynasty, Buddhism entered China, later gaining popularity. Historically, Buddhism alternated between periods of state tolerance (and even patronage) and [[Four Buddhist Persecutions in China|persecution]]. In its original form, certain ideas in [[Pre-sectarian Buddhism|Buddhism]] was not quite compatible with traditional Chinese cultural values, especially with the Confucian sociopolitical elite, as certain Buddhist values conflicted with Chinese sensibilities. However, through centuries of mutual tolerance, assimilation, adaptation, and syncretism, [[Chinese Buddhism]] gained a respectable place in the culture. Chinese Buddhism was also influenced by Confucianism and Taoism and exerted influence in turn – such as in the form of [[Neo-Confucianism]] and Buddhist influences in Chinese folk religion, such as the cult of Guanyin, who is treated as a Bodhisattva, immortal, goddess or exemplar of Confucian virtue, depending on the tradition. The four largest schools of Han Buddhism (Chan, Jingtu, Tiantai and Huayan) were all developed in China and later spread throughout the Chinese sphere of influence.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Though [[Christianity in China|Christian influence in China]] existed as early as the 7th century, Christianity did not gain a significant foothold in China until the [[Europeans in Medieval China|establishment of contact with European]]s during the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasty|Qing dynasties]]. Christian beliefs often had conflicts with traditional Chinese values and customs which eventually resulted in the [[Chinese Rites controversy]] and a subsequent reduction in Christian influence in the country. Christianity grew considerably following the [[First Opium War]], after which foreign missionaries in China enjoyed the protection of the Western powers and engaged in widespread proselytizing.<ref>{{cite book|first = Alvyn|last = Austin|year = 2007|title = China's Millions: The China Inland Mission and Late Qing Society|publisher = Eerdmans|location = Grand Rapids, Michigan|isbn =978-0-8028-2975-7}}</ref>

The People's Republic of China government defined Chinese-speaking Muslims as a separate ethnic group, the "[[Hui people|Hui People]]". This was opposed by the Republic of China government and Muslim celebrities such as [[Bai Chongxi]], the founder of the [[Chinese Muslim Association]]. Han Chinese Muslims were categorised as "[[:zh:第一屆中華民國國民大會代表#內地生活習慣特殊國民代表|inland nationals with special living customs]]" under the Republic of China government.<ref>Muslim Chinese : ethnic nationalism in the People's Republic. Gladney, Dru C. Cambridge, Mass,1996</ref> Bai Chongxi believed that "Hui" is an alternative name for [[Islam in China|Islam]] as a religion in the Chinese language instead of the name for any ethnic group, and that Chinese-speaking Muslims should not be considered as a separate ethnic group apart from other Han Chinese.<ref>白崇禧先生访问纪录（下册）第五七四章</ref>