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SHORT NOTES ON CHINA AND CHINESE CHRISTIANS (# 1)
September- December 2005

September 2005
CENSORSHIP OF E-MAIL MESSAGES PUTS CHINESE CHRISTIANS AT RISK
Chinese sources have reported widespread phone tapping, interference with e-mails and Internet censorship in mainland China. Representatives of the China Internet Project at the University of California at Berkeley shared their concerns about Internet censorship before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission in April.
Member Xiao Qiang pointed out, “The [Chinese] government . . . is expending significant resources to maintain control over both Internet content and public access to that content.” Xiao added that all Internet traffic in China passes through six gateways that are tightly controlled by government agencies. These gateways are protected by a firewall that screens any incoming content deemed “undesirable” for a Chinese audience.
 
“In effect,” Xiao said, “the Internet in China is really a nationwide intranet (internal network) with limited and government-controlled access to the global Internet.” Internet police in more than 700 centers monitor websites and e-mail for “heretical teachings or feudal superstitions” and information that is “harmful to the dignity or interests of the state.” They also use software to detect key words in e-mails and Internet downloads and to trace “subversive” messages back to the computers from which they were sent.
China has passed several laws since 1994 to regulate the content of the Internet.  “Illegal content,” however, is vaguely defined, putting Christians at the mercy of local officials who may or may not approve of Christian references in e-mail or Internet postings.

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CHINA  -  ESCALATING PERSECUTION
Two recent news releases from China Aid Association (CAA) document a shocking escalation of persecution in China. There seems to be a direct correlation between increasing Russian-Chinese-Central Asian solidarity and growing persecution of unsanctioned Protestant Christians in those states. China is systematically strengthening its assault on “cults” (which includes house churches.)
On July 7th, Pastor Cai Zhuohua faced court in Beijing charged with “illegal business operations” for printing more than 200,000 Bibles and other Christian books. (As they were given away and not sold, there was no “business.”) He is in prison awaiting sentence. Two women, Ms. Gu Junging (38) and Ms. Ren Daoyun (60) are still in prison following the detention and interrogation of two American students and 43 Chinese believers whom Ms. Ren Daoyun had hosted in her home.
Mr. Song Jun, Mr. He Jiangwei and Ms. Liang Fanglan are still held incommunicado following a house-church raid in Xinjiang province on August 7th. On August 15th, five American church leaders were arrested in Jiangxi province along with 27 house-church pastors. The group had simply been enjoying Christian fellowship together. Where they are being detained is not known, but God knows, therefore, we will confidently and dependently approach his “throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16).

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PRAYER FOR THE ZHUANG CHRISTIANS IN CHINA
While China is opening to the outside world through trade and business, the current government is actually moving to tighten control on political and religious freedom.
Across China, specifically in Guangxi and Yunnan where most Zhuang live, members of the national Public Security Bureau have since last spring been sent to most cities and many smaller towns to make sure the local Public Security Bureaus are enforcing laws that govern political and religious issues.
This has resulted in many foreign Christians, including some on the teams in Guangxi, being called in for questioning. Local believers have also been offered money by the PSB if they will spy on other local believers, or foreign Christians who work in the area where they live. An older believer stated that he feels the scrutiny of local and foreign Christians is the tightest it has been in 30 years.
 
Pray for Zhuang Christians who will be brought in and questioned, pray that they will have clear guidance and know how to answer. Pray for the lady house church leader and others who are currently in prison in Guangxi because they have lead groups in their homes.
 
Pray for the protection of foreign Christians who are working among the Zhuang, pray that they will have wisdom as they go about trying to reach out and share the gospel.

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November

CHINESE CITIES
Wulumuqi
 
Wulumuqi (pronounced oo-le-MOO-chee), the capital city of Xinjiang, China’s westernmost province, adequately reflects the history of the area. Throughout most of recorded time, the population of Xinjiang has been overwhelmingly Uygur (WEE-ghur), an Islamic minority group of Turkic descent native to the region. The early 1950s, however, saw the new Communist government encouraging Han Chinese to settle in the area in order to increase the population.
The Uygurs felt their land was being invaded, as Han Chinese poured into the province to dominate its government and business opportunities. Mounting tensions between the two people groups have been expressed by riots, protests and bombings as the Uygurs fight for an independent Xinjiang. However, this minority group has little hope of overcoming the sheer numbers of Han Chinese in their homeland.
Wulumuqi sees more Uygur-Han interaction than many other places in Xinjiang, yet racial tensions run high and the city in many ways remains deeply segregated. Prejudice and hatred have infiltrated the church, as well. The hearts of many Han Christians have become hardened towards their lost Uygur neighbors. Some openly acknowledge that they do not have a burden for the minority group.
Those Han Christians who do reach out with the Good News are often met with hostility and resistance. Although there is a thriving Christian church among Wulumuqi’s Han population, the city’s Uygur residents remain almost completely un-evangelized.

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HOUSE CHURCH IN CHINA GROWS TO 5,000 FROM 70 IN 3 YEARS
Southwestern China’s Guangxi province in has been, until recently, a spiritual “desert.” Idol worship was the norm, and the few Christians could not imagine revival. Recently, however, churches have begun growing rapidly.
For example, three years ago a house church in one region had 70 members; today it has 5,000. The revival is being led by a middle-aged couple who were expelled from the state-sanctioned church (Three-Self Patriotic Movement) in 1998. They started a house church where they met sitting on the floor.

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NEED FOR SPIRITUAL TRAINING INCREASES AS CHURCHES MULTIPLY
The rise of religion in China is catching the attention of the country’s leaders, says Erik Burklin of China Partner Ministries. However, there is a lack of trained pastors to lead the fast-growing churches. “Young emerging Christian leaders and pastors have to be trained to take on the ministry responsibilities being vacated by older pastors,” he said.
A China Partner lecturing team recently finished a week of training at the newly established Christian Counseling Center in Nanjing, founded in 2002. “Around 40 people signed up for this training session from 40 different provinces,” Burklin said, adding that similar activities can be expected as churches continues to expand.
In some areas Chinese government officials are cracking down on believers, but in other areas churches are being reopened and seminaries are being built. Church leaders are likely to continue on the path of specialized training to meet new needs as people discover themselves in Christ, Burklin said.

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CHINESE CITIES
AKSU
Four times the size of Japan and comprising 16 percent of the land mass of the country to which it belongs, Xinjiang is the largest province in China. In the 1950s, it was officially named the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, after the majority Muslim Uygurs who made their home there. At that time, over 90 percent of Xinjiang’s population was non-Han Chinese.
Today, however, the ethnic make-up of Xinjiang is much different. In recent decades, Han Chinese have literally flooded the province, resulting in ethnic unrest between the Han and other minority groups in the region. While most Uygur and other Muslim people groups in Xinjiang work towards peace, stability, and a better standard of living, there is a small band of Muslims actively fighting for an independent state. Their sometimes violent protests are stark reminders of the challenges that the Chinese government faces in its remote western regions.
In June of 1994, the small city of Aksu (pronounced AK-soo), current population 145,500 people, was the site of one such protest, when several Muslim separatists bombed a small bridge there. Thankfully, no one was injured. In spite of this negative attention, however, Aksu is best known for its beautiful scenery and rich history as a prominent stopping-off place along the ancient Silk Road.
 
Chinese Cities:
The total number of Chinese cities is 666.
11 cities with population over 2 million;
23 cities with population between 1 millions and 2 million;
44 cities with population between 500,000 and 1 million;
159 cities with population between 200,000 and 500,000;
393 cities with population less than 200,000.

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CHINESE CITIES
HENGYANG
The second-largest city in Hunan Province is Hengyang (pronounced HUNG-yahng), population nearly 7 million. Although it is an important center for lead and zinc mining, Hengyang is probably best recognized for its close proximity to Mt. Hengshan. Mt. Hengshan is considered the foremost of China’s five sacred mountains. In ancient times, kings and emperors visited the mountain to hunt and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.
Today crowds of Chinese tourists visit the mountain to pray to the gods and enjoy the scenery. The mountain is dotted with many temples, and holds special significance to both Buddhists and Taoists alike. At the top of the mountain sits Wishing Harmony Palace, built during the Ming dynasty. It is here that Zhu Rong, an official “in charge of” fire, is buried. Taoists have chosen Hengshan to represent fire, believing that it is an important element in the world.

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December

CHINESE CITIES  -  Hohhot
Hohhot, capital city of China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, sits at the base of the Daqing Mountains on the Mongolian Plateau, surrounded by vast grasslands. Over the years, both Mongolians and Han Chinese have used the city as a military outpost in conquests of the land north of The Great Wall.
Today, several people groups have settled in Hohhot—population more than 2 million—including Han, Mongolians, Hui, Daur, Ewenki and Oroquen. Hohhot’s well-planned New City District, site of many of the city’s government buildings, teems with middle school and college students, bicycles and street vendors.
The Old City District, with its distinctive crooked and winding roads, houses the city’s Buddhist temples and many of Hohhot’s cottage industries. In the Hui District are found busy outdoor markets, several mosques, an Islamic seminary and a Catholic church. People from all over Inner Mongolia come to Hohhot, as it is the province’s center for education, commerce, government and medicine.

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CHINESE CITIES  -  GUIYANG
Guiyang means “Precious Sunshine,” and is an apt name for this city of frequent rain and overcast skies. Guiyang city is the capital of Guizhou Province, a land known for its steep mountains.
Guizhou is considered to be the poorest province in China and is home to 13 of China’s official minority ethnic groups. Guiyang is a city of 3.5 million souls and is the political, economic, transportation and cultural center of the province. The dominant religion in the city is atheism, but many people still follow traditional Chinese folk religion.
Many years ago Guiyang was a stronghold of the Miao minority group, and today many Miao, as well as Buyi, villages lay in the suburbs. The failure of communism to meet deep spiritual needs has created a hunger for belief in Guiyang, and many people are ready to hear the Good News.

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29 CHINESE CHRISTIANS ARRESTED
Just two weeks before Christmas, the Chinese government yesterday arrested 29 Christians for holding an “illegal religious gathering.”
According to the China Aid Association, citing eyewitness reports, 40 law enforcement officers with eight police vehicles raided a house church leadership meeting at Xiapigang Village in China’s Henan Province.
 
Some 100 major church leaders from Henan and Anhui were gathered at a believer’s house, discussing how the house churches could help a large group of peasants who had contracted AIDS. That area is widely known as “the AIDS Disaster Area” because many peasants became infected when they sold their blood to local blood centers contaminated with the AIDS virus.
 
When the 29 leaders were arrested, say witnesses, their private property was confiscated without receipts, including three motor bicycles, one cell phone, all of their luggage and winter blankets. According to one pastor who was at the raided meeting, the police officers showed a search warrant and stated the meeting was an “illegal religious gathering.”
Pastor Shen Yiping, the founder of internationally known House Church group called China Gospel Fellowship, as well as the host of the meeting, Yang Huamin, were among those arrested.

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Intercessors engage in this prayer operation in more than 5000 prayer groups and churches in 120 nations. The networking factor increases and multiplies the number to a degree beyond estimation.

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Give the king knowledge of Your way of judging, O God
and the spirit of your righteousness to the king’s son to control his actions.
Psalms 72:1  Amplified version.
 
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PRIORITY NUMBER ONE:
PRAY FOR MEN IN AUTHORITY, 1 TIM 2:1-4
 
Lars Widerberg
Intercessors Network
Storskiftesgatan 87
S-58334 Linkoping, Sweden
Contact Intercessors Network

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Foot note
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