Chinese folk religion (Chinese: 中国 民间 信仰 (simplified spelling) or 中國 民間 信仰 (traditional spelling), "zhōng-guó mín-jiān xìn-yǎng") is a religion that has been practiced in China, and in areas inhabited by Chinese people. It is difficult to make a clear distinction between Chinese folk religion and other beliefs, because Chinese folk religion has elements of veneration of the dead, local spirits, clan spirits and traditional Eastern religions, such as Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, but also superstition, geomancy and Feng shui. There is no standarized mythology or clergy: rites are often performed by the father of a family. Since the 1950s, Chinese folk-religion is also sometimes refered to as Shenism or Shénism (Chinese: "Shén-jiào", 神教). In this context, shen refers to a spirit or a deity. The term Shenism was first used by A. J. A Elliot in 1955. The term Chinese folk religion is not used inside China.