Geography & Followers
Today, there are approximately 20 million Taoists worldwide, mostly from China, Taiwan, or Southeast Asia. When the other Chinese folk religions are included in this statistic, there are about 187 followers in total. Taoism is also influential in the west, especially in the fields of medicine and martial arts. However, it is practiced only by a minority of the people in North America, which is around 30,000 followers.
Despite the existence of some self-identified and pure Taoists in the west, Taoism is difficult to distinguish as a large, independent religion from a statistical perspective. Thus, the reason why Taoism is not as popular as other major religions like Christianity and Islam is because it is only one branch of Chinese traditional religion. Some major locations of Taoist practice is in the White Cloud Temple, which is a lively complex of courtyards and temples. It is located in China, south of Baiyun Lu. Other important temples include the Green Ram Temple, Temple of Eight Immortals, and more.
Despite the existence of some self-identified and pure Taoists in the west, Taoism is difficult to distinguish as a large, independent religion from a statistical perspective. Thus, the reason why Taoism is not as popular as other major religions like Christianity and Islam is because it is only one branch of Chinese traditional religion. Some major locations of Taoist practice is in the White Cloud Temple, which is a lively complex of courtyards and temples. It is located in China, south of Baiyun Lu. Other important temples include the Green Ram Temple, Temple of Eight Immortals, and more.