Magic, religion, and the naturalisation of Chinese communist party rule

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has developed strategies that draw on a dedication to the Party that is specifically religious yet does not require belief in a doctrine. These strategies revolve around the Leninist concept of 'party spirit', which, paradoxically, has become a commodity that is produced, supplied, and consumed. This essay discusses these strategies of the CCP in the context of party-cadre education and so-called red tourism. The article concludes that the Party is evolving into not just an infallible bearer of ideological dogma, but also a sacred object of worship as part of a new 'communist civil religion'.