Graeme Lang

Paul G. Harris

Nowhere is the connection between society and the environment more evident and potentially more harmful for the future of the world than in Asia. In recent decades, rapid development of Asian countries with very large populations has led to an unprecedented increase in environmental problems such as air and water pollution, solid and hazardous wastes, deforestation, depletion of natural resources and extinction of native species. This handbook provides a comprehensive survey of the cultural, social and policy contexts of environmental change across East Asia. The team of international experts critically examine a wide range of environmental problems related to energy, climate change, air, land, water, fisheries, forests and wildlife. The editors conclude that, with nearly half of the human population of the planet, and several rapidly growing economies, most notably China, Asian societies will determine much of the future of human impacts on the regional and global environments. As climate change-related threats to society increase, the book strongly argues for increased environmental consciousness and action in Asian societies. This handbook is a very valuable companion for students, scholars, policy makers and researchers working on environmental issues in Asia.

Routledge Handbook of Environment and Society in Asia

Lars Ragvald

Professor of Modern Chinese Language Literature and Society Lars Ragvald

In this case study, Graeme Lang and Lars Ragvald describe how plagues, war, revolutions, and industrialization affected the worship of the Chinese god Wong Tai Sin, and why, after his cult was extinguished within China in the 1960's, Wong Tai Sin became hugely successful in Hong Kong. Originally a healing god, he has now become a generalist, and is consulted by anxious urbanites about love, careers and emigration.

Hong Kong's Wong Tai Sin

The Rise of a Refugee God

Fenggang Yang

This book provides a sampling of recent field studies of religions in China, along with theoretical reflections by sociologists, anthropologists and religious studies scholars, both inside and outside China, on the revival of the social scientific study of religion in Chinese societies.

Graeme Lang

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