CHINA: LAO TZE STATUE UNVEILED IN CENTRAL CHINA
Mandarin/Nat
The world's biggest statue of Lao Tze, the father of the Taoist religion was unveiled this weekend in central China in a colourful ceremony attended by Chinese delegations from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In a country where 50 years of atheist communist leadership has restricted religious practices, this is a sign that times are changing.
Taoism, China's oldest indigenous religion is today being embraced by the people and facing a revival
The unveiling of the religious statue was a colourful ceremony - a scarcely seen sight in China where religious worship has been effectively quashed for the last half century.
This Taoist grand priest who conducted this weekend's traditional rite of `kai guang', literally `opening the light', in the Maoshan temple in central China said it was the first time it had been witnessed by so many people.
The huge statue which measures 33 meters high and cost 840-thousand U-S dollars, is the world's tallest existing statue of the holy man.
Made out of copper, it was assembled on site and weighs more than 100 tonnes.
Lao Tze was a wise man who lived two thousand five hundred years ago whose doctrine was based on the observation of nature.
He also drew his teachings from his extensive travel throughout China's vast land.
Lao Tze reported his teachings in a book called the Tao-Zi-Jing which quickly became the `Bible' of the religion.
It stresses the fact that human beings should not harm nature but follow its example and try to fit harmoniously into it.
It also advocates the cult of the ancestors.
Taoism became officially a religion at the end of the East Han dynasty, one thousand eight hundred years ago.
Although increasingly popular Taoism relied heavily on local popular beliefs and superstition and was consequently described as the `peasants religion'.
Mainly practised by the Han Chinese majority, Taoism today has several (m) million followers and about 25-thousand priests and nuns.
There are more than one thousand five hundred temples, mainly in the eastern part of China.
Taoism and Confucianism - which is more of a moral ethic than a religion - are both indigenous to China and are often mixed together.
Both theories preach the cult of the ancestors and the respect of the elderly.
SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
The people are required to do good things to serve the society. Therefore, the Taoist theories fit the people's psychologies and serve the society by making contributions to the spiritual civilisation.
SUPERCAPTION: Yan Zihua, Vice director of the Taoist Association of Maoshan temple
China's communist leadership, officially atheist, claims to allow freedom of religion as required by the country's constitution and by various international covenants on human rights.
But many believers, Taoist or otherwise have been persecuted for practising their religion and for many years temples stayed empty out of fear.
During the Mao Tse Tung era, especially during the Cultural revolution many temples and relics were destroyed.
People were only allowed to pray in government approved temples.
Taoism was regarded by the Communist government as a `dangerous, feudal and superstitious' threat to public stability.
The practice of burying the dead was regarded as a waste of land which could be used for crops.
But today, with China's growing openness and economic reforms, religious worship, and especially Taoism, is making a comeback.
Crowds are again appearing at temples and children are being taught how to pray and worship their ancestor's gods.
Because Taoism was restricted for many years by the communist government on the mainland, it has kept a very pure form.
SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive: