Abstract: The paper explores three aspects of the question of religious revival in rural China, one of the most “unexpected” phenomena since the beginning of Reform and Openup policy. Firstly, by offering a critical reappraisal to the three models of explaining religious revival—“invention of traditions”, “statesociety relation”, and “religious market theory”, the author argues that religion should not be reduced into such categories as “politics” or “economy”, but should be taken as a set of sui generis facts. In particular, the author delineates some premises implied in the religious market theory, premises that are rather Christian and cannot fit in the Chinese context. Secondly, it is necessary to understand the particular process of shaping “religion” by the political and intellectual elites in modern Chinese history. Academic claims to legitimize some of the religious practices merely continue the complicity within these elites. Thirdly, religious revival in rural China is largely separated from this process of elite complicity, implying an unknown mechanism potential to yield in an indigenous social theory. Referring to the recent model of “doing religion”, the author emphasizes the dimension of morality central to social solidarity. Finally, the author suggests that rather than recourse to secularization theory or market theory, we may try “gift model” to study this mechanism.

Key words:  , religious revival in rural China ,   elite and religion ,  religious market theory , gift model