SHANGHAI
The global attention given to East Asia because of the rising economic power of China, Japan, and Korea also puts a spotlight on their religious diversity. Though the region is undergirded by its rich Buddhist tradition, Japan has experienced an explosion of new religious movements, and China is undergoing a resurgence of new religiosity after years in which the socialist nation repressed any form of religious expression. A large and lively Muslim community complicates China's religious tapestry, and Christianity has experienced a revival throughout the region. This diversity plays a role in East Asia's social response to the forces of globalization, and in the part that religion plays in the civil societies of China, Japan, and Korea.
Image: Portrait of Chairman Mao greets visitors at the entrance to the Forbidden City..
