Three interesting videos on Chinese folk religion and its complex interaction with Buddhism and Taoism (here spelled Daoism).
The closest thing to a high god in Han folk religion, the Jade Emperor, has been appropriated by both Buddhists and Taoists. In Taoism, the Jade Emperor occupies the second rung in the celestial hierarchy, below the three Taoist high gods. In Buddhism, he is identified with Indra, the king of the devas, who is said to be a Buddhist. Perhaps in retaliation, some Jade Emperor-ists (to coin a phrase) argue that their heavenly sovereign is actually a buddha and the teacher of all bodhisattvas! Indeed, he seems to have out-Buddha´d the Buddha himself...
The second video is about Mazu, supposedly a real person (a shamaness from southern China) who became deified after her death. Today, the character of Mazu is used in PRC influence operations directed against Taiwan (where the goddess is very popular)!
The third video is about the ghost festival with the "hell money"...
I admit that Chinese popular religion isn´t really my cup of green tea, but here you go.
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