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Dhaoism is the only major religion with the distinction that it originated
from Chinese roots and grew to maturity on Chinese soil. It was first introduced
at the end of Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 A.D.) and is based on ancient
witchcraft and formulas of immortality. Taoists regard Lao Zi (Lao Tzu)
as the founder and supreme god of Daoism, and Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)
is the profound book of only five thousand Chinese characters by Lao Zi
which serves as the canon for believers.
The word "Dao" (Tao) is translated as "the way". In
its broadest sense, Dao is the way the universe functions as the path taken
through all natural events. Dao is nature's way expressed in effortless
action. Within the Dao belief, the two elementary powers, Yin and Yang,
function simultaneously. Daoism stresses the union of man and nature, suggesting
that man control his environment not by combating it but by cooperating
with it. Daoism was associated with alchemy, which was at one time a practical
way of seeking the elixir of life by the transmutation of base matter into
gold. The idea of "Wu Wei", sometimes translated as "action
by non-action", was a central principle of Daoism. Wu Wei means not
so much inactivity as refraining from taking action to retain harmony with
the flow of events.
Buddhism was introduced into the regions inhabited by the Han people,
the largest ethnic group in China, during the first century A.D. There are
two types of Buddhism in China,  Mahayana
Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism reached its peak of popularity
during the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581-907). Mahayana Buddhism stresses
the existence of many Buddhas. It focuses attention on Buddhas in heaven
and on people who will become Buddhas in the future. It believes that these
present and future Buddhas can save people through compassion and grace.
Hinayana Buddhism was introduced from Burma, about the 9th century A.D.
It emphasizes the importance of Buddha as a historical figure, the virtues
of monastic life, and the authority of the Tripitaka. Lamaism, a form of
Buddhism intermingled with indigenous Tibetan religion known as Bon, which
is widespread in Tibet and Inner Mongolia. Lamaism mainly gained its Buddhist
foundation from Han Mahayana Buddhist sources. Of the various sects that
eventually developed within Lamaist Buddhism, the main sects are Nyingma,
Sakya, Kagyu, Bon, and Gelug.
Islam arose in China's coastal cities in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907
A.D.) and spread to many other areas with the return of the Mongolian
army from its expedition to the west and the migration of Islamites from
Central Asia in the 13th century.
The introduction of Catholicism and Protestantism to China followed Buddhism
and Islam with less influence.
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