A hall in Shanghai exhibits the histories and inheritances of Christians in China on making contributions to the country's development. Photo: Courtesy of Yu Wenliang

China's major religious communities have held abundant activities including seminars, national flag raising ceremonies and praying for the country to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Nearly 1 million Catholics in China joined a nationwide activity on Sunday to raise the Chinese national flag, sing the national anthem and pray for the motherland to commemorate the anniversary. 

The activity sought to express the Chinese Catholic community's most sincere blessings for the birthday of the PRC in the most solemn manner, Bishop Ma Yinglin, who is also the chairman of the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China, told the Global Times.

They joined the activity spontaneously, the association said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Monday. Flag-raising ceremonies were held in around 4,000 Catholic churches in China.

Sunday also marks the one-year anniversary of the provisional agreement on bishop appointments between China and the Vatican, the statement said, and holding such activities also showed the gratitude toward the country's efforts in promoting the healthy development of Catholics.

Yu Wenliang, chairman of the Yunnan branch of the National Committee of Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China, told the Global Times that they were visiting a hall in Shanghai which exhibits the histories and inheritances of Christians in China on making contributions to the country's development. It is part of the activities to celebrate the anniversary.  

The exhibition "showed us how Christians in China loved the country and the church during different periods such as in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the period of War of Liberation (1946-49)," Yu said.

The Global Times also learned from the China Islamic Association on Monday that they held a seminar on Muslims' patriotic sentiments and practices on September 10 in Tianjin Municipality, aiming to carry forward the patriotic tradition of China's Islamic community, lead Muslims of all ethnic groups to adhere to the orientation of the Sinicization of Islam in the new era, cement the sense of community of the Chinese nation and pay tribute to the 70th anniversary.

Dai Junfeng, head of the Islamic Association in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, said that they will have a flag-raising ceremony and an art performance to praise the country's achievements on Tuesday. 

"We will also have a ceremony to pray for the country's future. Love of country and the religion is an Islamic tradition. Chinese Muslims' love for their motherland is beyond doubt," Dai said. 

Hu Chenglin, head of Shaanxi Taoist Association, told the Global Times that they held a forum to raise the community's awareness of patriotism and strengthen their political stance. 

At the forum, he asked Taoist believers to deeply understand the Yan'an spirit and inherit the patriotic feelings of revolutionary ancestors.

Buddhist associations across the country also held solemn ceremonies raising the national flag and singing the national anthem. 

They also held Buddhist culture discussions to explore the experiences and lessons of Chinese Buddhism in the past 70 years and look forward to the future development of Chinese Buddhism.

The Chinese government supports all religions in upholding the principle of independence and self-management, according to the white paper "Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China." 

The official major religions practiced in China are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholic and Protestant Christianity, with nearly 200 million believers and more than 380,000 clerical personnel. There are about 144,000 places of worship registered for religious activities and 92 religious schools in China, the white paper said. 


Newspaper headline: Religious groups celebrate PRC anniversary