I ask because in my eyes they're effectively the last vestiges of an organized religion in an officially atheist state. How did the various Buddhist (and other religious) orders fare during the various conflicts in contemporary China? How is it we still have groups like the Shaolin order but Buddhist monks (who I assume are of the same sect/order) are persecuted in places like Tibet?
How is it we still have groups like the Shaolin order but Buddhist monks (who I assume are of the same sect/order) are persecuted in places like Tibet?
Shaolin are Chan, a Mahayana school that follows a branch of Yogacarin philosophy. Tibetan schools are almost entirely Vajrayana that follow Madhyamaka philosophy.
Can you... clarify your question a bit more? I'm a bit unclear if you're asking for a history of East Asian Buddhism since the Chinese Revolution or something more specific.