Dancing before Christ and Chinese Citizens: Protestant Calisthenics and Religious Space in Contemporary China
This article explores how Protestants have developed Christian calisthenics in contemporary China. Chinese society has demonstrated a renewed interest in calisthenics practiced in public space. Millions of practitioners gather early mornings or evenings to stretch, dance, and exercise outdoors. Fema...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Religion and society
Year: 2024, Volume: 15, Issue: 1, Pages: 170-183 |
| Further subjects: | B
religious space
B Fujian Sheng B China B calisthenics B Christianity |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article explores how Protestants have developed Christian calisthenics in contemporary China. Chinese society has demonstrated a renewed interest in calisthenics practiced in public space. Millions of practitioners gather early mornings or evenings to stretch, dance, and exercise outdoors. Female Christians are developing their religious version of these exercises. In tune with loud Christian hymns, they perform together on sidewalks to praise their Lord and cultivate their health. This article argues that Christian dancers use their bodies to renegotiate the spatial, congregational, and political definition of their religion. While religious and public authorities tend to formalize public expressions of Christianity, Christian dancers emphasize the importance of health, the polymorphic nature of their religion, and the ubiquitous presence of their God. |
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| ISSN: | 2150-9301 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion and society
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3167/arrs.2024.150119 |
