LETTER FROM BEIJING
Receiving an invitation from the Chinese government to an event opening with a religious celebration is a rare occurrence. Yet early in the morning on Sunday, September 24, nearly 1,000 people − including just over 100 foreigners − took part in a ceremony in Jiangsu province, north of Shanghai, in one of the temples of Maoshan, a principal sacred site of Taoism.
A mist had settled, partially obscuring the colossal statue of Taoism's founder Lao Tzu (standing 33 meters high and weighing 106 tons), perched atop the hill, rendering the scene even more enchanting. Despite instructions not to, many of the ceremony's participants couldn't resist the temptation to commemorate the moment by pulling their cell phones out of their long, midnight-blue robes. The temptation was all the more compelling given that several Chinese photographers and cameramen working for the official media had taken over the altar, without according to the Taoist master the least respect. Surrounded by dozens of banner-bearers representing as many deities, the founder appeared unperturbed, burning a large yellow envelope to warn heaven of an upcoming event on Earth.
Having been blessed by the gods, the 5th International Taoist Forum, to which Le Monde had been invited by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, could now get underway. Over the course of two days, roughly 1,000 people, including several hundred monks, discussed the latest developments in this religion founded two millennia ago. The vast majority were Chinese, of course, but dozens had also come from all over the world. In Maoshan, there were Asians, Russians, North Americans, Italians, Mexicans, French, and even an Iranian researcher.
This fifth forum − the previous ones were held in 2007, 2011, 2014, and 2017 − marked a notable development. The participants ratified the creation of a World Federation of Taoism, an entity comprising 52 organizations from 20 countries and regions. While the president of the Taoist Association of China, Master Li Guangfu, is Chinese, two of the six vice presidents are foreigners: the Italian president of the Taoist Church of Italy, whose Chinese name is Li Xuanzong, and Frenchman Hervé Louchouarn Trestard, president of the Taoist Association of Mexico, where he has lived for a long time.
"Eight of us presidents of foreign associations called for the creation of an international organization back in 2011," he said. "We need to train, inform and take action. The world needs spirituality. Taoism will save the world," said Li Xuanzong enthusiastically. At the forum's podium, he had pleaded − with relative success − for greater use of the English language by this now global organization.
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