The Study On Taoism In Xinjiang In The Period Of The Republic Of China

Taoism is an indigenous religion in China, which was introduced to Xinjiang in5thcentury AD. Having passed thousands of years, Taoist left ineffaceable historicalrecords in Xinjiang. However, due to many factors, Xinjiang, as an important placefor Taoism’s transmission, which didn’t attracted enough attention in the researchhistory of Taoism. Therefore, the research on local history of Taoism is alsoconstrained.Based on the period of the Republic of China，this thesis traced the time androutines of Taoism introduction to Xinjiang and its development. Though themanifestation of Taoism remains and Taoist priests’ life, it analyzed the causes led toTaoism declination, which mainly are: establishing schools with temples assets,religious policy, prohibition of illegal assembly and self-constrains. By collecting andsorting relevant materials, this thesis reconsiders the Taoism in the period of theRepublic of China. It holds the view that Taoism, as a religion, has been fading away.Nevertheless, Taoist culture has reached common people and become a social culture.