Hindu tradition in China

China has local ancient communities of Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and even Manicheans in the form of the Red Turban Rebellion. But no Hindus, for some reason. Why didn't that religion get imported? Hinduism isn't evangelical but it at least spread to Nepal, Thailand, and Bali.
 
China has local ancient communities of Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and even Manicheans in the form of the Red Turban Rebellion. But no Hindus, for some reason. Why didn't that religion get imported? Hinduism isn't evangelical but it at least spread to Nepal, Thailand, and Bali.

Strictly speaking, Hinduism got exported to all of Southeast Asia, but then Buddhism and Islam displaced it.

To get Hinduism in China, I think you need vastly stronger India-China trading links that result in traders taking on elements of Indian culture, such as Hinduism.
 
China has local ancient communities of Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and even Manicheans in the form of the Red Turban Rebellion. But no Hindus, for some reason. Why didn't that religion get imported? Hinduism isn't evangelical but it at least spread to Nepal, Thailand, and Bali.
Some Hindu gods did get worshipped in China--eventually.The so-called Four Faced God/Buddha that's quite popular amongst some elite circles in Hong Kong is basically Brahma with a different name.
 
Some Hindu gods did get worshipped in China--eventually.The so-called Four Faced God/Buddha that's quite popular amongst some elite circles in Hong Kong is basically Brahma with a different name.

And quite drastically different in many ways. And I also recall reading about some syncretism between a local deity and Shiva.

But the most striking export of Hinduism is in the Far East is Japan, where this goddess is clearly based upon Saraswati, right down to holding a lute.
 
Strictly speaking, Hinduism got exported to all of Southeast Asia, but then Buddhism and Islam displaced it.

To get Hinduism in China, I think you need vastly stronger India-China trading links that result in traders taking on elements of Indian culture, such as Hinduism.

Seriously? Actually the religion that spread in South East Asia was a syncretism of Hinduism and Buddhism with the former somewhat dominant. You can certainly checkout the cultural practices in Indonesian islands prior to the beginning of Islamicization. It will certainly prove my point.
 
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