Manichaeism

Manichaeism revived in China under the Yuan dynasty after centuries of persecution. At Cao'an in Fujian, a temple originally built as a thatched hut was rebuilt in stone in 1339.

The Ming emperor Hongwu banned the religion in 1370. Its followers increasingly blended their practices with Buddhism and Daoism, and later worshippers regarded Cao'an as a Buddhist temple. In Chinese Manichaean teaching, Mani was called the Buddha of Light, while a Daoist text used by believers described him as a reincarnation of Laozi.