Faiths on Display ─ Religion, Tourism, and the Chinese State

By providing a unique perspective on China's changing relationship with religion, this groundbreaking book explores the role the Chinese state continues to play in religious revival today. Throughout China, spaces for religious expression and practice have been rebuilt, revived, and contrived for display by local officials hoping to cash in on tourist revenue. Faiths on Display argues, however, that the results of the state's instrumental approach toward religion are far from predictable. The volume explores the ways revived religious practices and commercial tourism development intersect in China, offering surprising insights into the contested nature of state governance in a rapidly transforming society.

Tim Oakes is associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Donald S. Sutton is professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University.