Shanghai's sacred spaces

China's religious communities are starting to peek out from under the shroud of communism

One photographers explores the religious communities on the rise in Shanghai, China.
Jackie Friedman's avatar
By
published
(Image credit: Shanghai Daoist Institute is one of three Daoist official learning centers in China. The 50 students (between the ages of 20 and 28) study for six hours a day and take classes in history, phi)

(Image credit: The vitality of the expatriate Jewish community in Shanghai today is illustrated by their strong organizational structure. Rabbi Avraham Greenberg, brother of the rabbi who set up the Shangha)

(Image credit: Many Buddhist networks gather donations for the practice of releasing animals from captivity. The traditional ritual of "freeing the fish" is performed on the various waterways that cross Sha)

(Image credit: A couple practice singing before a Taizé prayer evening. Taizé is an ecumenical monastic order that started in Burgundy, France. A young Shanghai man introduced the practice to Catholic churc)

(Image credit: Every month one of the two Indian yogis in Shanghai hosts a fire ceremony for Chinese devotees on Chongming Island. Most attendees discover the ritual event through their yoga studios.)

(Image credit: Around 50 Hindu expatriate families live in the apartments of the Shimao Riviera garden compound in Pudong, Shanghai. Although Hinduism is not officially recognized by the state, the Indian H)

(Image credit: Fuyou Road Mosque is the smallest of Shanghai's mosques, constructed during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). While there is no separate prayer hall for women, on major festival days, the prayer)

(Image credit: The status of the Orthodox in Shanghai has remained ambiguous. This Easter 2016 service was held within the Russian consulate and attended by both foreigners and Chinese.)

Jackie Friedman
Jackie Friedman

Jackie Friedman is the assistant photo editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the photojournalism program at Kent State University and now lives in New York.

Latest