China is a nation where numerous religions are practiced. These beliefs include Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity. Chinese citizens can freely choose and express their own beliefs, and make clear their religious affiliations. According to incomplete statistics, China now has more than one hundred million religious believers of all sorts and more than eighty five sites for religious activities, about three hundred thousand clergymen and more than three thousand religious organizations. These organizations have also established seventy four religious institutes to training religious workers.

The Han Nationality (the majority of Chinese people) has never had a religion that is shared by all of the members of the nationality. The religious belief of the Han Nationality has three characteristics: firstly, it adopts a compatible and inclusive attitude; secondly, foreign religion must be localized and nationalized and developed into a religion with its schools and theories with national characteristics so that it can exist and develop in harmony with Chinese society; thirdly, Buddhist culture is thought to be practical and other religions should have practical characteristics.

The religious beliefs of China have distinct national features and many of the ethnic minorities have a religion that all of the people of the minority group believe in. The minorities in the northwestern area such as the Hui Nationality and the Uygur Nationality believe in Islam; the Zang Nationality and the Mongolian Nationality believe in Tibetan Buddhism; the Bai Nationality, the Zhuang Nationality, the Dong Nationality, and the Man Nationality, the Korean Nationality, the Naxi Nationality and the Yi Nationality mostly believe in Mahayana Buddhism; and the Dai Nationality from Yunnan mostly believe in Hinayana Buddhism. Other minorities still retain some primitive religious beliefs.