{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='CHINA: LAO TZE STATUE UNVEILED IN CENTRAL CHINA' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54ba8bd8eafeecae11e4b7' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54ba8bd8eafeecae11e4b7' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nCHINA: LAO TZE STATUE UNVEILED IN CENTRAL CHINA\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eMandarin/NatThe world's biggest statue of Lao Tze, the father of the Taoist religion was unveiled this weekend in central China in a colourful ceremony attended by Chinese delegations from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.In a country...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eMandarin/Nat\u003cbr/\u003eThe world's biggest statue of Lao Tze, the father of the Taoist religion was unveiled this weekend in central China in a colourful ceremony attended by Chinese delegations from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.\u003cbr/\u003eIn a country where 50 years of atheist communist leadership has restricted religious practices, this is a sign that times are changing.\u003cbr/\u003eTaoism, China's oldest indigenous religion is today being embraced by the people and facing a revival\u003cbr/\u003eThe unveiling of the religious statue was a colourful ceremony  -  a scarcely seen sight in China where religious worship has been effectively quashed for the last half century. \u003cbr/\u003eThis Taoist grand priest who conducted this weekend's traditional rite of ``kai guang', literally ``opening the light', in the Maoshan temple in central China said it was the first time it had been witnessed by so many people.\u003cbr/\u003eThe huge statue which measures 33 meters high and cost 840-thousand U-S dollars, is the world's tallest existing statue of the holy man. \u003cbr/\u003eMade out of copper, it was assembled on site and weighs more than 100 tonnes.\u003cbr/\u003eLao Tze was a wise man who lived two thousand five hundred years ago whose doctrine was based on the observation of nature.\u003cbr/\u003eHe also drew his teachings from his extensive travel throughout China's vast land.\u003cbr/\u003eLao Tze reported his teachings in a book called the Tao-Zi-Jing which quickly became the ``Bible' of the religion.\u003cbr/\u003eIt stresses the fact that human beings should not harm nature but follow its example and try to fit harmoniously into it.\u003cbr/\u003eIt also advocates the cult of the ancestors.\u003cbr/\u003eTaoism became officially a religion at the end of the East Han dynasty, one thousand eight hundred years ago. \u003cbr/\u003eAlthough increasingly popular Taoism relied heavily on local popular beliefs and superstition and was consequently described as the ``peasants religion'.\u003cbr/\u003eMainly practised by the Han Chinese majority, Taoism today has several (m) million followers and about 25-thousand priests and nuns.\u003cbr/\u003eThere are more than one thousand five hundred temples, mainly in the eastern part of China.\u003cbr/\u003eTaoism and Confucianism - which is more of a moral ethic than a religion - are both indigenous to China and are often mixed together.\u003cbr/\u003eBoth theories preach the cult of the ancestors and the respect of the elderly.\u003cbr/\u003eSOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)\u003cbr/\u003e\"The people are required to do good things to serve the society. Therefore, the Taoist theories fit the people's psychologies and serve the society by making contributions to the spiritual civilisation.\" \u003cbr/\u003eSUPERCAPTION: Yan Zihua, Vice director of the Taoist Association of Maoshan temple\u003cbr/\u003eChina's communist leadership, officially  atheist, claims to allow freedom of religion as required by the country's constitution and by various international covenants on human rights.\u003cbr/\u003eBut many believers, Taoist or otherwise have been persecuted for practising their religion and for many years temples stayed empty out of fear.\u003cbr/\u003eDuring the Mao Tse Tung era, especially during the Cultural revolution many temples and relics were destroyed.\u003cbr/\u003ePeople were only allowed to pray in government approved temples.\u003cbr/\u003eTaoism was regarded by the Communist government as a ``dangerous, feudal and superstitious' threat to public stability.\u003cbr/\u003eThe practice of burying the dead was regarded as a waste of land which could be used for crops.\u003cbr/\u003eBut today, with China's growing openness and economic reforms, religious worship, and especially Taoism, is making a comeback.\u003cbr/\u003eCrowds are again appearing at temples and children are being taught how to pray and worship their ancestor's gods.\u003cbr/\u003eBecause Taoism  was restricted for many years by the communist government on the mainland, it has kept a very pure form.\u003cbr/\u003eAnd despite their political differences, delegations from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Macao were present on Saturday at the Kai Guang ceremony.\u003cbr/\u003eBut there are fears that Taoism might not be favoured by coming generations.\u003cbr/\u003eSOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)\u003cbr/\u003e\"We do not know what is going to happen in the future. What we are doing now, at least in Singapore, is trying our best to enhance Taoism step by step in Singapore.  As an ethnic Chinese, I wish the pure form of Taoism from China could be carried on.\"\u003cbr/\u003e SUPERCAPTION: Wen Hai, Master of Wind and Fire, Taoist temple Singapore    \u003cbr/\u003e``Morality in nature', as these stone-carved characters claim, may not inspire so many people.\u003cbr/\u003eSOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)\u003cbr/\u003e\"``The beliefs and theories of Taoism have not been adequately publicised. Times are different now, all the religions are trying hard to educate their young and advertise their own theories. For the Taoist people, we should also positively do the same so that young people can embrace this religion.\"\u003cbr/\u003eSUPERCAPTION: Weng Taimin, Kaoshiung Taoist House, Taiwan\u003cbr/\u003eRecent reports on human rights have noted a decline in the use of physical abuse and arrests of those who worship in non government registered temples.\u003cbr/\u003eAnd the government itself seems to be turning away from the repression of worshippers and favouring instead the establishment of new temples and worshipping places under carefully controlled management.\u003cbr/\u003eThe authorities are beginning to realise that this would not only be an easy way to satisfy a growing discontent among China's peasant majority, but also be a useful source of revenue.\u003cbr/\u003e Shanghai, 6 November 1998\u003cbr/\u003eMaoshan - Jiangsu province\u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide shot and pan from taoist musician monks to priest \u003cbr/\u003e2. Medium shot taoist musician monk playing a Chinese horn \u003cbr/\u003e3. Close up taoist musician monk knocking on wooden temple blocks \u003cbr/\u003e4. Close up of hand of priest lighting candle \u003cbr/\u003e5. Wide shot taoist priest burning paper and scattering ashes \u003cbr/\u003e6. Medium shot peasant woman with taoist bead necklace praying \u003cbr/\u003e7. Wide shot and pan from crowd of believers to giant statue of Lao Tze \u003cbr/\u003e8. Closer pan on Lao Tze giant statue \u003cbr/\u003e9. Pan from woman praying to altar with food and incense offerings \u003cbr/\u003e10. Medium shot of woman kowtowing to ground\u003cbr/\u003e11. Close up and tilt from hand to face of Lao Tze statue \u003cbr/\u003e12. Pan from statue to worshippers \u003cbr/\u003e13. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Yan Zihua, Taoist Association of Maoshan \u003cbr/\u003e14. Wide shot inside taoist temples and empty praying cushion \u003cbr/\u003e15. Close up empty praying cushion \u003cbr/\u003e16. Pan from woman kowtowing and praying to Lao Tze small gold statue \u003cbr/\u003e17. Close up on bench of incense sticks being lit \u003cbr/\u003e18. Wide shot and pan on woman lighting incense and putting them in incense burner \u003cbr/\u003e19. Close up on flames, pile of incense sticks burning \u003cbr/\u003e20. Medium shots of smoking incense burners and Chinese red banner \u003cbr/\u003e21. Pan on crowd of worshippers entering taoist temples \u003cbr/\u003e22. Medium shot father showing child how to pray \u003cbr/\u003e23. Close up statue and face of taoist home-god \u003cbr/\u003e24. Wide shot of Singapore taoist delegation participating in ``kai guang' ceremony \u003cbr/\u003e25. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Wen Hai, Master of Wind and Fire, Taoist Association Singapore \u003cbr/\u003e26. Pan from giant stone carved characters of the tao to people praying in front of altar \u003cbr/\u003e27. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Weng Taimin, Kaoshiung Taoist House, Taiwan \u003cbr/\u003e28. Pan from face of old woman praying to joined hands \u003cbr/\u003e29. Close up basket full of bank notes and hands receiving money \u003cbr/\u003e30. Wide shot showing taoist monk representative in suit receiving money with Lao Tze statue at the background  \u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan class=\"star-rating\" aria-label=\"3.5 out of 5 stars\" role=\"img\"\u003e\u003ci 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