Buddhism and Islam

Available for over a year

35 years after the Cultural Revolution, another revolution is sweeping across China. As the Communist Party seeks to address the effects on Chinese society in becoming manufacturer to the world, combined with rampant consumerism and its own one child policy, it is turning to religion to fill the void. In this 3 part series, Tim Gardam, Principal of St Anne's College, Oxford, travels through this vast nation of 1.4 billion people, to explore the role of "God in China". Buddhism & Islam are two of China's five official religions. They are both very integrated into Chinese society but for different reasons. In this programme Tim Gardam considers the role these two religions play in the Communist Party's appropriation of religion to support the drive towards President Hu Jintao's "harmonious society". He meets female imams and visits Longquan Monastery whose Abbot's "tweets" are translated daily into 8 different languages. Producer: Liz Leonard.