Taoism
Since the Ming Dynasty, Taihe Taoism has used the City God Temple (in the north of present-day Xuexuejie Road) as the center of its activities. The famous Taoist priest Wang Daqing became a monk here. Daqing No. Yelin, a native of Yelingou in the east of the city, is knowledgeable and versatile, and is the author of "Le Dao Song" and "Hunyuan Zhao Judgment Collection". There is an old flower opera building in the temple, built in the Ming Dynasty, with exquisite craftsmanship. Every year during the Qingming Festival, the temple holds an incense festival and carries the city god statue on tour, and it is noisy for several days, and more than 100,000 people rush to burn incense. By the 15th year of the Republic of China (1926), there were still 9 Taoist priests in the temple, 300 acres of land, and the income was good, and the old Taoist priests all smoked opium.
In the 15th year of the Republic of China, the Taihe Taoist Church was established, and Hu Jiaoming and Gao Chun served as the chief and vice presidents, and both of them were Taoist priests of the Zhengyi school and did not become monks. In the 30th year of the Republic of China (1941), the Japanese army invaded Taihe, the City God Temple and the Flower Tower were burned, and the incense club also decayed.
In the 33rd year of the Republic of China (1944), the Taoist Church merged with the Buddhist Association and changed its name to the Buddhist Taoist Association, with Shi Congyun as the chairman. At that time, there were 7 Taoist temples and 16 Taoist priests in the county. After liberation, Taoism became extinct within the territory.
Buddhism
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were many temples and monks in the territory. The more famous temples include Yuchan Temple (in present-day Miaoji Township), Bixia Yuanjun Temple (in present-day Old County Township), Zen Hall (in present-day Daxinxiang), Guanyin Hall (in the county seat) and so on. According to the Yuchan Temple stele, during the Ming Hongwu period, the temple had more than 500 temples and 500 monks. By 1951, there were still 17 ordained monks in the monastery, all of whom took care of themselves after the land reform. Zen Hall, also known as Hongfan'an, is located on the bank of the Ying River in the west of the city, in the 30th year of the Republic of China (1941), there is still 1 sandalwood Buddha statue in the main hall, 3 ancient cypresses of the Ming Dynasty in the courtyard, and 2 ginkgo trees of the Tang Dynasty in the west of the city, with lush flowers and trees, and a quiet environment. According to old records, in the early Qing Dynasty, there was a monk and abbot of Qingyuan in this temple, and there were noble officials who anchored under the temple and went ashore to visit Qingyuan, and the two met each other. When the original died, he handed over 1 piece of uterine tile to commemorate his life, and he never broke his life in his life, and the people of the county suspected that he was a dignitary who became a monk because of his death.
After the Republic of China, Buddhism gradually declined in the county. After the May Fourth Movement, most schools were run in temples, and the number of monks and nuns gradually decreased. According to statistics in the early years of the Republic of China, there were 345 monks and nuns in the county. In the 35th year of the Republic of China (1946), there were 96 ordained monks in the county.
The Taihe Buddhist Association was founded in the 15th year of the Republic of China (1926), and the organization is unknown. In the 33rd year of the Republic of China (1944), it was renamed the Buddhist Taoist Association. In the 35th year of the Republic of China (1946), it was ordered to be changed to the "Anhui Province Taihe Branch of the Chinese Buddhist Association", the site of which was located in Guanyin Hall, with 200 members (including lay disciples), and Shi Linxiang was the chairman.
The life of monks and nuns is mainly based on the income of temple property and incense clubs. According to the registration of the 25th year of the Republic of China, there were 160 temples in the county at that time, with a temple output of 3607 mu. In the 17th year of the Republic of China, the Taihe County Government ordered that the temple property be converted into a school field to supplement the lack of education funds. The Taihe Buddhist Association once encouraged monks and nuns, made trouble many times, and did not pay temple lessons. On July 20, 18th year of the Republic of China, the county magistrate Chen Shikui ordered: "In Chaben County's education funds, temple classes actually account for one-third." If the monks do not pay for it, it will affect the education greatly. The Buddhist Society was ordered to "stop holding on to it." ”
In 1985, there were three nuns in the territory, all of whom were old, and their living expenses were subsidized by the government.
Islam
The introduction of Islam into Taihe began in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. In the tenth year of Ming Hongwu (1377), 12 Hui families in Taihe raised funds to build a mosque (now Beisi), and later built the South Mosque and the Old County Mosque. There is a full-time imam (also known as the imam) in the temple, who is responsible for the three major festivals, punctuality, worship and presidency.
The Taihe Hui people all believe in Islam, they are shrewd and capable, good at business, and the famous Ma Hongsheng fruits and some famous snacks are mostly manufactured and operated by the Hui, making significant contributions to the development of Taihe and commerce. In modern times, there are also many outstanding figures, such as the famous painter Ma Jinbo of the Yinghe Valley, who is deeply respected by society for his exquisite art and noble character.
After liberation, under the guidance of the "Three-Self" (self-transmission, self-renewal, and self-support) policy, the religion continued to carry out innovation, and the material life and cultural quality of the Hui people continued to improve. During the decade of unrest, Muslim worship was banned and imams were expelled. In the 600-year-old North Mosque, dozens of plaques were smashed, and antiquities (containing a Song Dynasty magnetic furnace), ancient calligraphy and paintings were stolen, and heavy losses were made. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the party's religious policy was implemented, and funds were allocated for the restoration of the North Mosque and the resumption of normal activities.
Taihe currently has 8,000 members of Islam.
catholic
Catholicism was introduced to Taihe during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and the church was first set up at the mouth of the Huihe River (after liberation, it was included in Bo County). In the 16th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1890), the Diocese of Shanghai sent French Bai and Jin priests to Taihe to build a church, the site of which was set up on North Street, and two courtyards were built across the street, the west courtyard was the male hall and the priest's dormitory, and the east courtyard was the women's college and the dormitory of the virginal nuns. Around the 20th year of the Republic of China, the French missionary class and the native priest Gao Lianrong established branch churches in Dongxi Lizhai, Tongyong Temple, Shuiliuzhai, Jia Qiao and other places, and developed about 3,000 believers. Later, the Italian missionary Greg came to preside over the work.
The nuns of the Catholic Church are chaste nuns, who have served as 18 nuns and whose position is to assist the clergy in the management of academic affairs.
The Catholic missionary method in Taihe, in addition to building churches in Landmark to promote doctrine, also opened scripture classes and conservative studies. Often in the spring and autumn, the children of the Masses of Christians enter the church to study, learn the Taoming Scriptures, and accept Catholic teachings. During the study period, meals are provided free of charge.
During the Anti-Japanese War, a private Chongren Primary School was opened, and in addition to the general school curriculum, a "self-cultivation course" taught by priests was added as a position for instilling doctrine.
In 1985, there were about 3,000 Catholics in the county. 3 clergy. The living expenses of the clergy are subsidized by the government.
christian
Christianity was introduced to Taihe in the eleventh year of Guangxu (1885), and the church was located in the south of Dongdajie Road. The first pastor, British-born, Feld. Hold, dry up. "Later there were American Hepess, Millsau, and Sperren. Local pastor He Zhichen, Chen Shouchun, etc.
Taihe Christianity belongs to the Mainland Church faction. In the 26th year of the Republic of China (1937), Taihe established the "Futai Local Federation of Chinese Christian Inland Associations", also known as the Gospel Church, and by the end of the Anti-Japanese War, a total of 16 Christian branches were established in the territory, with more than 700 believers.
In the 35th year of the Republic of China (1946), the American priest Shi Peiren and his master and mother acted as a blessing in power, bullied local pastors, and beat and scolded servants. The local pastoral staff could not bear it anymore, adopted self-selected elders and deacons, established local teaching organizations, and forced Shi Peiren to check and admit his mistakes in public.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the activities of the church were stagnant for a while. In 1983, under the guidance of the county religious section, the Three-Self Patriotic Committee of Christianity was established, and in May of that year, the real estate rights were handed over and normal activities resumed. In 1984, the provincial and local religious offices approved the opening of eight Christian branches in the territory. According to incomplete statistics, there were about 10,000 Christians in 1985.