Growth of Buddhism in China and its challenges past and present - Opinion | Daily Mirror

Daily Mirror LK · 🇱🇰 public Sri Lanka · May 25, 2026 · 1315 words · By DM Editorial

State Persecution of Religion Cultural Integration Religious History of China

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Ready to play

Daily briefing

What to know about State Persecution of Religion

Reply To: Name - Reply Comment Xi and Modi in a Chinese Buddhist temple Buddhism came to China from India via Central Asia in the first century AD during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD).

Claims checked 18

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Over the centuries, it has grown in China in harmony with native belief systems like Confucianism and Taoism, despite doctrinal differences.

Common ground

But Buddhists have also faced persecution and restrictions in the past, and continue to do so in some form, even now, despite the Sinification of the religion and its practices.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this State Persecution of Religion story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Holmes Welch, the scholar of modern Chinese Buddhism, declared in 1972 that Buddhism was effectively dead?
How does this story connect State Persecution of Religion with Cultural Integration over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Growth-of-Buddhism-in-China-and-its-challenge…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

schedule

Claim 1: “Holmes Welch, the scholar of modern Chinese Buddhism, declared in 1972 that Buddhism was effectively dead.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 2: “Buddhism in China reached its highest point during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907 AD).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 3: “By around 514 AD, there were two million Buddhists in China.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided search results for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'there' and contain no historical data regarding the number of Buddhists in 514 AD.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · The meaning of THERE is in or at that place —often used interjectionally. How to use there in a sentence. There vs. <span class ...
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/there

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — THERE definition: 1. (to, at, or in) that place: 2. to arrive somewhere: 3. to succeed: . Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/there

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dec 7, 2025 · Explore the definition of the word "there," as well as its versatile usage, synonyms, examples, etymology, and more.
https://usdictionary.com/definitions/there/

schedule

Claim 4: “The new era of Reform and Openness declared by Deng Xiaoping, revived religions, including Buddhism, in 1980.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 5: “In 574, and again in 577, Emperor Wu had Buddhist and Taoist images destroyed, and their clergy returned to lay life.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and Dharmapedia, explicitly confirm that in 574 and 577, Emperor Wu destroyed Buddhist and Taoist images and forced clergy back to lay life.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 574 and again in 577, Emperor Wu had Buddhist and Taoist images destroyed and their clergy returned to lay life. He believed the temples had become too ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Buddhist_Persecutions_in_…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 574 and again in 577, Emperor Wu had Buddhist and Taoist images destroyed and their clergy returned to lay life. He believed the temples had become too ...
https://en.dharmapedia.net/wiki/Four_Buddhist_Persecutions_i…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... In 574, and again in 577, Emperor Wu had Buddhist and Taoist images destroyed, and their clergy returned to lay life. He believed the ...
https://www.eurasiareview.com/26052026-growth-of-buddhism-in…

schedule

Claim 6: “There are two schools of Chinese Buddhism – Chan or Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 7: “In the 4th Century AD, Kumarajiva, a Buddhist from Central Asia, set up a translation bureau that produced some 98 works from many languages into Chinese, of which 52 survive.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Kumarajiva's role in the 4th century as a translator from Central Asia who organized a translation bureau. The specific numbers (98 works, 52 surviving) are explicitly mentioned in web results.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kucha ( KOO-chə, also: Kuche, Kuchar, Kuçar; Uyghur: كۇچار, Кучар; Chinese: 龜茲; pinyin: Qiūcí, Chinese: 庫車; pinyin: Kùchē; Sanskrit: 𑀓𑀽𑀘𑀻𑀦, romanized: Kūcīna) was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kucha

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Lotus Sūtra (Sanskrit: सद्धर्मपुण्डरीक सूत्रम्, IAST: Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit. 'Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma'; japanese language: 法華経; rōmaji: Hokkekyō; traditional Chinese:…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Sutra

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Theravāda is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed Theravādins (anglicized from Pali theravādī), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or Dhamma in the Pāli…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “In 567 AD, a former Buddhist priest, Wei Yuansong, submitted a memorandum to Emperor Wu Di (561-578) of the Northern Zhou Dynasty calling for the “abolishment of Buddhism”.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results provided for this claim are generic entries for the year 567 and area codes, providing no information about Wei Yuansong or Emperor Wu Di's memorandum.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Year 567 (DLXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 567 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era bec…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/567

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — About area code 567: location, common spam callers, related area codes, and more. Includes 567 reverse phone lookup to identify spam callers.
https://www.callercenter.com/area-code-567/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Browse area code 567 phone numbers, prefixes and exchanges. The 567 area code serves Toledo, Mansfield, Port Clinton, Lima, Napoleon, covering 26 ZIP codes in 16 counties.
https://www.whitepages.com/phone/1-567

schedule

Claim 9: “Some of the more famous Chinese pilgrims were Fa-hsien (399 to 414 AD), Xuan-zang (629-645 AD), and I-tsing (671-695 AD).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 10: “In 845, Taoist Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty initiated the “Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution” by stripping Buddhism of its financial wealth and driving “foreign” influences from China.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results for this claim.

schedule

Claim 11: “All religious activity is legal only within the confines of a registered religious venue and must be kept out of the public sphere.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 12: “In 86 AD, an imperial official, Cai Yin, returned to China after spending three years in India. He came back with images of Buddha, Buddhist scriptures and two Indian Buddhist monks, one named She-mo-teng (Pali name Kasyapa Matanga) and Chu-fa-lan (probably Dharmaratna or Dharmaraksha or Dharmaranya).”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and specialized historical articles, confirm that monks Kasyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna arrived in China with texts and images, though some sources date this to circa 67 CE rather than 86 AD.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — For most of its history until the 20th century, China consisted of one or several dynastic kingdoms or states under the rule of hereditary monarchs. Beginning with the establishment of a system of dyn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasties_of_China

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Han dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD) was an imperial dynasty of China established by Liu Bang, and preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and the interregnum known as the Chu–Han C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wu wei (traditional Chinese: 無為; simplified Chinese: 无为; pinyin: wúwéi; Jyutping: mou4-wai4) is a concept from ancient Chinese philosophy that literally means not-acting or non-doing, variously interp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_wei

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 13: “In 1949, the Communist Party began to gradually, but systematically, dismantle Buddhist institutions.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 14: “In 955, Emperor Shizong (r. 954-959) of the Later Zhou (951-960), due to the need for copper, ordered that Buddha statues be destroyed so that copper could be used to mint coins.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results for this claim.

verified

Claim 15: “In 166 AD, Han Emperor Huan formally adopted Buddhism by having Taoist and Buddhist ceremonies performed in his palace.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While evidence mentions Emperor Huan of Han and a mission reaching his court in 166 AD, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming he 'formally adopted Buddhism' via ceremonies in his palace.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Emperor Wenxuan of (Northern) Qi ((北)齊文宣帝) (526–559), personal name Gao Yang (高洋, Wade–Giles: Kao Yang), courtesy name Zijin (子進), Xianbei nickname Hounigan (侯尼干), was the founding emperor of the Nort…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Wenxuan_of_Northern_Qi

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Han dynasty (201 BCE – 220 CE) was the second imperial dynasty of China. It followed the Qin dynasty, which had unified the Warring States of China by conquest. It was founded by Liu Bang (Emperor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Han_dynasty

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 16: “In 148 AD, An Shih-kao, a monk from Parthia (now in Southwestern Iran), arrived in China, set up a Buddhist temple at Loyang (in Henan Province in Central China), and began translating Buddhist scriptures into Chinese.”

CORROBORATED

The arrival of An Shih-kao from Parthia in 148 AD and his work translating scriptures in Loyang is confirmed by Wikipedia and multiple web sources.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — An Shigao (Chinese: 安世高; pinyin: Ān Shìgāo; Wade–Giles: An Shih-kao; Korean: An Sego; Japanese: An Seikō; Vietnamese: An Thế Cao; fl. c. 148–180 CE) was an early Buddhist missionary to China, and the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Shigao

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Indo-Parthian kingdom, also known as Pahlavas or Pahlawas in ancient Sanskrit texts, was a syncretric kingdom founded by Gondophares and was active from 19 CE to c. 226 CE. At its zenith, it ruled…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Parthian_kingdom

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chinese monarchs were the rulers of China during Ancient and Imperial periods. The earliest rulers in traditional Chinese historiography are of mythological origin, and followed by the Xia dynasty…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_monarchs

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 17: “As a result, there arose Han Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Southern Buddhism.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 18: “Buddhism came to China from India via Central Asia in the first century AD during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD).”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Mahayana Buddhism entered Han China via the Silk Road in the 1st or 2nd century CE. The Han dynasty dates (202 BC – 220 AD) are verified by Wikipedia.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list shows the distribution of the Buddhist religion, practiced by about 320 million, representing 4.1% of the world's total population as of 2020. By sheer numbers, Thailand accounts for the lar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_by_country

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Buddhism in Central Asia mainly existed in Mahayana forms and was historically especially prevalent along the Silk Road. The history of Buddhism in Central Asia is closely related to the Silk Road tra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Central_Asia

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mahayana Buddhism entered Han China via the Silk Road, beginning in the 1st or 2nd century CE. The first documented translation efforts by Buddhist monks in China were in the 2nd century CE via the Ku…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_transmission_of_Budd…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.