Originally created in 1954 as the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB), Xiao Xianfa directed the RAB from 1961 to 1965. The RAB was criticised during the
Cultural Revolution. For instance, SARA has maintained a "living Buddha database" to track prominent Tibetan Buddhists who are loyal to the CCP.
Ye Xiaowen directed the SARA from 1995 to 2009. During his tenure, he issued the
State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5, which furthered state control over
reincarnations in
Tibetan Buddhism, and attempted to suppress
underground Catholics loyal to
Rome (which he considered "colonial") and not to the government-sanctioned
Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. After Ye was promoted to the Secretary of the CCP Committee at the
Central Institute of Socialism, the former Deputy Director
Wang Zuo'an was promoted to Director. In 2018, that NRAA was merged into the UFWD as part of the "
deepening the reform of the Party and state institutions". == Leadership ==