(一贯道). The largest Chinese new religious movement when the Communist regime was inaugurated in 1949, with several million followers. A cult of the Ancient Mother (無生老母), it grew out of a precedent religious movement dating back to the 18th century, Xiantiandao (先天道). In the 1950s, it was severely persecuted by the CCP: millions were arrested and several leaders were killed. While Yiguandao, divided into rival branches, survives in Taiwan and other countries outside of China, its persecution served as a model for the later repression of xie jiao that started in the 1990s.
« Back to Glossary Index
