Secularization and China's Modernization

Abstract

This open access book examines from the perspective of secularization. Since the publication of Max Weber's Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism, how to realize modernization in developing countries has become an urgent problem to be demonstrated. Secularization has becoming endogenous power for Chinese modernization procedure, especially since 1978. However, to understand the foundation of secularization, it is inevitable to tracing back to Chinese history. This approach contains critical analysis and profound insight to illuminate the essence of secularization in contemporary Chinese context. The author also applies the comparative approach: by comparing with Protestant ethics in many Western European countries, the significance of secularization has been emphasized. The widespread and intense secularization boosts China into the trend modernization that covers nearly all aspects of society. This book is in need for those who intended to discern the truth of Chinese modernization. It is also a key tool of reflecting modernization and development in a broader sense.