Friday, January 10, 2025 – The Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis (CCA) has published “China’s Middle Class Searches for Faith and Meaning” by John Osburg, CCA Fellow on Chinese Society.

“Under Xi, the [Chinese Communist Party’s] management of religious activity has become stricter and more intrusive, leading to crackdowns on groups without official sanction. Beijing has also pushed the ‘Sinicization’ of religion, with more patriotic education for clergy and the inclusion of political messages in religious activities,” writes Osburg.

Attempts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote state-sanctioned religious institutions have backfired, as many Chinese now believe that unsanctioned religious sites provide the most “authentic” and “undiluted” spiritual teachings. Independent Christian churches, Tibetan teachers, and New Age workshops are seeing a rise in attendance among affluent, well-educated urban Chinese — long assumed to be the most secular segment of society — who are drawn to the sense of community provided by these faith-based groups.

“The fact that the middle class has been drawn to spiritual traditions perceived to be the least tainted by party-state interference, such as Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism, is telling. Under Xi, the CCP’s attempts to co-opt official religious institutions and steer their teaching to promote patriotism have undermined their credibility,” says Osburg.

Osburg ascribes some of this religious resurgence to COVID-19, which he elaborates on in his essay for the China 2025: What to Watch report. G.A. Donovan, CCA Fellow on Chinese Society, likewise unpacks the lingering impacts of COVID-19 on Chinese society in his contribution.

China 2025 forecasts continuing erosion of trust in China as well asintensifying economic headwinds, ongoing political purges, and widening social discontent throughout 2025.

Read “China’s Middle Class Searches for Faith and Meaning” here. Members of the media interested in contacting Osburg should reach out to [email protected].