In the day of “short introductions” and even “very short introductions” to world religions, it is gratifying to find a publisher making the effort to produce a truly thorough product. This up‐to‐date compilation of summaries of aspects of Chinese religion, variously defined, is preceded by an introduction by Nadeau, stressing that “each author … is creative, inventive, and path‐finding,” although they are tasked to cover all that is known in their field. The first five sections are historical. The next six cover “The Traditions”: Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Popular Religion, Islam, and Christianity, each by a capable specialist. The most “creative” feature is the third section, “Critical Terms for the Study of Chinese Religion”: “Sacred Text,” “Religious Ritual,” “Material Culture,” “Nature,” “Divinity,” “Gender,” “Divination,” “Asceticism,” and “Self‐Inflicted Violence.” The first three are described as “the basic ‘building blocks’ of religion as such”—an arguable position, although a different assortment of “building blocks” might be imagined. The next three “examine the Chinese conceptualization of the cosmos and personal identity in both theoretical and practical terms.” The final three are said to “delve into Chinese religious practice on an individual level.” One senses that the chapters were designed to “cover all the bases,” then to add as much “path‐finding” material as contributors could be identified. Specialists will appreciate Chinese characters in the index. While different conceptualizations of the “critical terms” are certainly possible, this is a substantive volume that should benefit many readers.
