Yaochidao (瑤池道 "Way of the Mother-of-Pearl Lake"), also known by the name of its corporate form the Holy Church of the Mother-of-Pearl Lake, Taiwan Yauchi Holy Church (台灣瑤池聖教會) or by the older name of Cihuitang (慈惠堂 "Church of the Loving Favour"), is a
Chinese folk religious sect
Chinese salvationist religions or Chinese folk religious sects are a Chinese religious tradition characterised by a concern for salvation (moral fulfillment) of the person and the society.; ''passim'' They are distinguished by egalitarianism, a f ...
related to the ''
Xiantiandao
The Xiantiandao (, or "Way of the Primordial"; Vietnamese: ', Japanese: '), also simply Tiandao (; Vietnamese: ', Japanese: ') is one of the most productive currents of Chinese folk religious sects such as the White Lotus Sect, characterised by ...
'' lineage, with a strong following in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
and active as an underground church in the People's Republic of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, where it is theoretically a proscribed sect.
It existed before the 20th century and it is focused on the worship of
Xiwangmu
The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. From her name alone some of her most importan ...
(the "Queen Mother of the West").
Practices
Members of Yaochidao wear blue uniforms, and perform a variety of ritual and practices including divination of inspired scriptures, chanting of scriptures, exercises of body cultivation, gods' mediumship and other forms of charismatic religious praxis.
See also
*
Chinese salvationist religions
Chinese salvationist religions or Chinese folk religious sects are a Chinese religious tradition characterised by a concern for salvation (moral fulfillment) of the person and the society.; ''passim'' They are distinguished by egalitarianism, a ...
*
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
References
External links
Yaochi Holy ChurchSung Shan Cihuitang
Sources
* {{cite book , last = Munro , first = Robin; Mickey Spiegel , year = 1994 , title = Detained in China and Tibet: A Directory of Political and Religious Prisoners , publisher = Human Rights Watch , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zZv3IRRk8WoC , isbn = 1564321053
Chinese salvationist religions