In Changchun, there are 6 religious communities at the municipal level, 36 religious representatives of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and 315 places officially approved for religious activities, which are divided in this way: 10 for Catholicism, 259 for Christianity, 24 for Buddhism, and 22 for Islam. Five places are open to the public, including the church on No. 5 Road, the church for Catholicism on Dongsi Street, the Mosque on Changtong Road and the Banro Temple and Dizang Temple (source).

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An Overview of Shenyang

Shenyang is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing (盛京) or Fengtianfu (奉天府). Shenyang was first used by the Manchu people as their capital in the 17th century and is today the biggest city in the Northeast.

Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial centre in China, and serves as the transportation and commercial hub of China’s northeast–particularly with Japan, Russia, and Korea. A titan of heavy industry since the 1930s, the city has been diversifying its industry and now has a solid industrial foundation, a good land and air transport network, abundant natural resources, and a skilled workforce. Investment subsidies are granted to multinational corporations that set up offices or headquarters in Shenyang.

Shenyang has a population of 8.1 million and its urban population is 5.74 million. By urban population, it is the largest city in northeastern China and among the top ten largest cities in China.

An ethnically and culturally diverse city, Shenyang has 38 of China’s 56 recognised ethnic groups, including the Han Chinese majority that make up 91.26% of Shenyang’s population.

Shenyang residents are classic Dongbeiren (Dongbeiren literally means “Northeasterners”). Scores of adjectives are routinely used to describe Dongbeiren: friendly, loud, drinkers, and straight-forward are just a few. Many Shenyang residents take pride in these titles; however, most like to point out their reputation for friendliness (source).

Religion in Shenyang

There are three main religions prominent in Shenyang culture: Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Daoism (also called Taoism) is the only one native to China (source).

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With a population of more than 6,563,000 people, Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. The city is built in the form of a parallelogram, the area within the walls (central Lahore or Old Lahore), being about 461 acres. With a rich history dating back over a millennium ago, Lahore is a major cultural centre of Pakistan. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a vibrant economic, political, transportation, entertainment, and educational hub. Considered a gamma+ world city, Lahore maintains its historical status as one of the world’s most cosmopolitan and lively of cities (source). 

The culture of Lahore is a manifestation of the lifestyle, festivals, literature, music, language, politics, cuisine and socio-economic conditions of its people. It is characterized by the blending of South Asian, Middle Eastern/Persian, Central Asian, and Western influences.

Punjabi is the native language of the province and is the most widely spoken language in Lahore. Punjabi is the primary means of communication in both the city and adjoining rural areas. Punjabi has no official status in Lahore and some Punjabi activists have raised demands for recognition of Punjabi. English and Urdu have become increasingly popular with educated and younger people due to its official status in government and preferred language status for business. Many Punjabi speakers in Lahore are known as Majha Dialect Of Punjabi. According to the 1998 census, 86.2% or 6,896,000 of the population are Punjabis; 10.2% or 816,000 are Urdu speakers and the Seraikis, at 0.4%, number about 32,000. The city has also been capital and part of three Persianates and therefore heavy Persian influence is evident on the lifestyles of people and the city itself. Farsi is also spoken in many parts of the city and Farsi quotes and sayings are engraved on many ancient and modern buildings (source). 

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Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China’s south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km² (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong’s population is 95 percent ethnic Chinese and 5 percent from other groups. Hong Kong’s Han Chinese majority originate mainly from the cities of Guangzhou andTaishan in the neighbouring Guangdong province (source).

English and Chinese are Hong Kong’s two official languages. The Cantonese dialect is the most commonly spoken language in the territory, though English is the language of the business and service industries; hotel employees, many urban Hong Kong residents, most young people, and shop and service personnel understand and speak it to some degree. Other Chinese dialects. such as Mandarin (Putonghua), Shanghainese, and Chiu-Chow can be heard as well. (source).

The majority of residents in Hong Kong would claim no religious affiliation, professing a form of agnosticism or atheism. According to the U.S Department of State, only 43% of the population practices some form of religion. According to another poll, Hong Kong is the seventh least religious country in the world, with only 22% of the population considering religion an important part of their daily lives. In Hong Kong, teaching evolution won out in a curriculum dispute about whether to teach other explanations, and that creationism and intelligent design will form no part of the senior secondary biology curriculum.

Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of religious freedom, a right enshrined and protected through its constitutional document, the Basic Law. A local religious scholar in contact with major denominations estimates there are approximately 1.5 million Buddhists and Taoists in Hong Kong. Buddhists and Taoists share a common background of Confucian theory, Chinese folk religion (worship of folk deities and figures of Chinese mythology), and ancestor worship (source).

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