By 2005, in Dehong Prefecture, there were 905 venues for religious activities, 474,600 religious believers, 578 religious clerics, a total of 17 legally registered religious groups, three prefecture level religious groups (1 Buddhist association, 2 Christian associations) 14 county-level religious groups (5 Buddhist associations, 6 Christian associations, and 3 Catholic associations).

　　A total of 40 people represented religious believers 43 times in the People’s Congress at various levels among whom there was 1 provincial CPPCC member (Christian); 11 prefecture level CPPCC members (3 Hinayana Buddhists, 2Han Buddhists, 5 Christians, 1 Catholic); 3 County level deputies of People’s Congress (2 from Hinayana Buddhism sector, 1 from Han Buddhism); County level CPPCC members 28 (11 from Hinayana Buddhism sector, 5 Han Buddhists, 11 Christians and 1 Muslim).

　　Primitive religions

　　Before the systematic Religions spread into Dehong, local people had their original practice of primitive religions, nature worship, totemism, ancestor worship, gods worship (Jingpo and Lisu ethnic groups had only the concept of ghosts), the worship of saints, sacred objects worship.

　　The development of the primitive religion of Jingpo and Lisu ethnic groups was in a richer and more complex state. Take for an example the ghosts of Jingpo, whose known names exceed 130. Till today, Dai, De'ang and Achang still have remnants of primitive religious practices. They still worship village and local gods with festivals held every year.

　　Lisu and Jingpo ethnic groups so far retain the complete system and the basic integrity of primitive religions. Different religious ceremonies use different sacrifices, such as, big domestic animals like cattle or hogs for the worship of big ghosts, and chicken or eggs for small ghosts, and people even use dried fish for some ceremonies.

　　In 1951, there were about 800 wizards, among whom there were 200 Dai wizards. According to the survey of early 1989 by the Department of Religious Studies of the United Front Work Committee of Dehong, (the survey was done in Ruili, Longchuan, and Yingjiang, on the situation of primitive religious activities of Jingpo and Lisu ethnic areas) there were a total of 20 senior wizards, among whom there were 16 Jingpo and 4 Lisu.(Translated by Zhu Qisai)