The following information is very incomplete: It can be used for what it is worth (it is hoped that readers worldwide will be motivated to send us more information, to be included in a second edition of the Dictionary).
The study of Taoism has become a worldwide movement. Its land of origin, China, is paying increasing attention to it, both as a religious way of life and as a subject of scholarly study.
As a religious organization, there is in the PRC a national body, called Taoist Association of China (TAC), originally founded in 1957, but revived in 1979 (after the “Ten Years of Chaos”). Its goal is to strengthen the Taoist heritage in the homeland through publications, including a quarterly journal (Chung-kao Tao-chiao/Zhongguo Daojiao) and by organizing training sessions for young candidates. Many provinces have branch organizations.
Study centers focusing on Taoism are established in many Chinese cities. The more important ones are in:
• Beijing, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute for the Study of World Religions, which has a separate unit for research on Taoism.
• Shanghai, Academy of Social Sciences, with a special unit researching Taoism. They publish a quarterly journal, Shanghai Tao-chiao. One of the most active scholars there is Ch’en Yao-t’ing/Chen Yaoting.
• Szechuan province has strong centers for Taoist studies in Chengtu, both at the Szechuan University, Department of Religious Studies, and at the Academy of Social Sciences. Several internationally known scholars are active there: Ch’ing Hsi-t’ai/Qing Xitai; Li Shu-yuan/Li Shuyuan.
A recent assessment of the state of Taoism in the PRC is found in the journal China Heute (China Today), published in Germany. See vol. 14 (1995), 108–110: “Daoismus oder die Lehre des Laozi.” (See also Introduction: Taoism in Modern Times.)
The ritual practice of Taoism in Taiwan is foremost in the hands of the Taoist clergy (see entry Popular Religion and Taoism). Yet there also is an independent religious organization, calling itself Chung-hua Tao-chiao hui (Taoist Association of China/Taiwan). It has local chapters in all major cities.
The study of Taoism is encouraged by several bodies: the International Lao-Chuang Society, the Yi-ching Society, and, more recently, by a new organization strongly influenced by Taoism, the Ling-chi hsiehhui (Association of “Mediums”). (See JCR, 24, 1996.)
Several well-known scholars are members of the Academia Sinica in Taipei. One of their ongoing projects is investigating the relationship between Taoism and the Popular religion. There are also plans for the founding of a Taoist university in Taiwan in the near future.
The study of Taoism is being actively promoted in various academic institutions. In Europe, Paris has a long history of sinology with special focus on Taoism. In most of the larger universities of the United States and Canada, there are programs in Asian Studies or Religious Studies, with an emphasis on Taoism.
Journals publishing in the area of Taoism are Journal of Chinese Religions, Taoist Resources, and Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie (Kyoto). For more detailed information, especially concerning bibliographies on Taoism, see Bibliography in this volume.