Shuk-wah Poon traces the history of the Chinese state's relationship with religion from 1900 to 1937. The revolutionary regime failed condemned religious practice in the early twentieth century, suppressing "superstitious" belief in favor of a secular, more enlightened society. Drawing on newspapers and unpublished official documents, this book focuses on the case of Guangzhou, largely because of the city's sustained involvement in the revolutionary quest for a "new" China. Shuk-wah Poon pays particular attention to the implementation of policy and citizens' attempts at adaptation and resistance.