If a young Chinese intellectual grows up in a totally atheist environment hostile especially to the “religion of western imperialism”, then what would induce him to become so interested in the question of the existence of God and the meaning of faith, that he decides to dedicate his life to the study of Christianity? By telling the story of his childhood and youth in the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution, He Guanghu offers a vivid picture not only of his personal intellectual and spiritual development but also of the academic situation of modern and contemporary China. In the second part of this collection, several of He Guanghu’s essays analyse the complicated contradictions and connections between Chinese politics, society, culture, and the Christian faith. The author also gives an insider’s view of the development of Christian studies in China from the 1980s until today. His profound arguments will inspire any theologian and philosopher of religion.

He Guanghu, born in Guiyang, China, in 1950, survived the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution as elementary school teacher. After 1979 he was s researcher at the Institute of World Religions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing. Since 2001 he has been professor at the School of Philosophy at Renmin University of China. He Guanghu has translated and authored scores of books and essays on theology and the study of religion. 

Leopold Leeb, the translator, Austrian, Prof. at Renmin University of China since 2004.