China is losing Taiwanese hearts and minds
A Buddhist master’s death robs China of a champion in Taiwan
When China’s Communist Party detects a chance to woo hearts and minds, it is ready to send its cadres to incongruous places. On February 12th such a mission brought dozens of senior officials to the mist-shrouded Dajue Temple, on a wooded hilltop in rural Jiangsu province. Despite the vows of atheism that bind all party members, the officials bowed their heads alongside dark-robed monks and nuns in joint homage to Master Hsing Yun, the founder of a Buddhist order with many followers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He died this month, aged 95.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Hearts and minds”
From the February 18th 2023 edition
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