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All Journal Millah: Journal of Religious Studies
Pang, Zhujun
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Religion

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Diplomacy in Disguise: Yunfeng’s Diaries and the Paradox of Buddhist Soft Power during China’s Cultural Revolution Pang, Zhujun; Liu, Yaoping; Beliatte, Metteyya
Millah: Journal of Religious Studies Vol. 25, No. 2, August 2026
Publisher : Universitas Islam Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.20885/millah.vol25.iss2.art6

Abstract

This study employs Yunfeng's Diary to examine the contradictory function of Buddhism during China's Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). The study systematically categorizes 1,829 entries from Yunfeng's Diary into five subject classifications: Foreign Reception, Policy Directive, Ritual Performance, Sangha Statistics, and Ideological Reflection.  Furthermore, it utilizes three analytical frameworks: Soft Power, Religious Capital, and Microhistory. The analysis shows that Buddhist practices were selectively revived for diplomatic events with other countries, but were suppressed in religious life at home, especially in 1973 and 1975 when delegations from Japan and Nepal were welcomed.  The patterns of co-occurrence show that Foreign Reception entries are mostly linked to Soft Power and Religious Capital.  Policy Directives are also closely linked to Microhistory, which shows how people internalize and negotiate state directives.  Temporal trends further demonstrate that Buddhism functions as a "conditional resource": suppressed domestically yet revitalized for international legitimacy. The findings reveal that Yunfeng’s Diary documents how Buddhism, though suppressed in everyday life, was selectively reactivated as a cultural instrument in China’s early experiments with religious diplomacy. More broadly, the findings suggest that soft power rooted in religious capital is not only a post-reform phenomenon, but has been experimented with since the Mao era.
Co-Authors Beliatte, Metteyya Liu, Yaoping