Editing Weixinism (section)

==Founding==
Weixinism was founded in the 1980s, in a context where the end of [[martial law in Taiwan]], with the consequent affirmation of [[freedom of religion]], allowed several new religious movements to operate openly and eventually to gain legal recognition. At the same time, in the aftermath of the [[Cultural Revolution]] in the mainland, several local new religious movements presented themselves as the guardians of Chinese "orthodoxy" in religious beliefs, intended as the genuine religious and cultural tradition that had developed throughout centuries of Chinese history.<ref name="Chang"/>

Among the most successful of such movements<ref name="Liu"/> was Weixinism, which was founded as the result of the mystical experiences of Chang Yi-Jui, born in [[Zhongliao, Nantou]], Taiwan, in 1944, and later known as Grand Master Hun Yuan. Before falling seriously ill in 1982, Chang, who operated a land survey company in Taiwan, was not particularly religious, although he had been interested for years in ''[[Yijing]]'' and ''[[fengshui]]''.<ref name="Chang"/> He attributed his recovery to a miraculous intervention and vowed to dedicate his remaining life to spirituality.<ref name="Huang">{{cite book |last=Huang |first=Chun-Zhi|date=2016 |title=Promoter of World Peace Grand Master Huen-Yuan: How Propagating Chinese Culture Contributes to World Peace|location=Taichung |publisher=Wei Xin Zong Cultural Communication Co. Ltd.}}</ref>

He claimed to have received messages both from the [[Chinese theology#Yudi|Jade Deity]], one of the representations of the [[Chinese theology|supreme God]], and from [[Guiguzi]], a name that indicates both a group of writings compiled between the late [[Warring States]] period and the end of the [[Han dynasty]] and their author, later deified in Chinese folk religion.<ref name="Chang"/> Feeling he was now mystically united with Guiguzi, Chang opened a small worship hall in Taichung and started gathering followers. In 1984, he renamed the hall [[Shennong]] Temple and claimed to have received by divine revelation the name and title of Grand Master Hun Yuan. In 1987, he registered his movement as Weixinism, a name meaning "Heart(or Mind)-Only" teaching.<ref name="Liu"/>

In 1989, the headquarters were moved to larger facilities in [[Nantou County]], in a complex known as the Hsien Fo Temple.<ref name="Chang"/> The movement's growth led to the establishment of some forty branch temples in Taiwan, and overseas branches in China, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Spain.<ref name="Liu"/> A variety of temples, including a large headquarters complex known as the "City (or Temple) of the Eight Symbols" on Yumen Mountain in [[Henan]], have been built in mainland China since 2001.<ref name="Liu"/> Another headquarters complex has been built in 2008 in [[Nantou City]], Taiwan.<ref name="Huang"/>

Taiwanese scholar Liu Hsiu-Yi has argued that members join Weixinism because of four different motivations: problem-solving, learning doctrines, social networking, and personal religious experiences. Some believe the religion may help them solve practical problems in the fields of health and careers; others are interested in Weixinist theology; some join because they have relatives and friends in the movement; and some claim they had a deep spiritual experience when they first met Grand Master Hun Yuan.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://taiwaninsight.org/2018/12/20/how-people-choose-their-religions-in-taiwan-the-characteristics-of-the-followers-within-weixin-shengjiao/|title=How People Choose Their Religions in Taiwan: The Characteristics of the Followers Within Weixin Shengjiao|last=Liu |first=Hsiu-Yi|date=20 December 2018|website=Taiwan Insight, Taiwan Studies Programme, University of Nottingham |access-date=March 9, 2020}}</ref>