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Religious believers thrice the official estimate: Poll [ERE/2007/02/08]
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      For years, China has been saying that there are 100 million religious believers of all religions. Now a survey by two university professors in Shanghai indicates that 31.4% of those over age 16, or 300 million Chinese, believe either in one of the five major religions, or else in folk religion. Many believers are under age 39, while many seniors who were atheists in the 1950s now believe. They report that they are happier after turning to religion, and the last line of the article is, "For example, religious beliefs have helped cut down crime to a large extent."

Source: China Daily, Wednesday, February 7, 2007, p. 1.

Comment:

      This is a big story. Now SARA, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, may find it embarrassing to explain why their estimates have been contradicted. The number of 40 million Protestants looks right. Catholics are holding steady at 13 million, say 1% of the population, as some rural migrants drift away from church in the big cities. - M Sloboda

 

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Bible widely distributed across nation: Christian leader [ERE/2006/12/24]

      Cao Shenjie, president of the China Christian Council, said that 2.5 million Bibles are published annually. Many bookstores sell books about the Bible. Robert Morrison (1782-1834), a pioneering Protestant missionary, compiled the first Chinese-English dictionary in 1815. A second news story reports brisk sales of biblical literature in the Christmas season as Chinese try to cross the cultural divide.

Source: China Daily, Saturday, December 23, 2006, p. 1, p. 11.

Comment:

      These news reports are not clear as to how many books are actual, unabridged Bibles and how many are collections of Bible stories or sketches of biblical characters. "According to official statistics, China has at least 60 million Christian believers," (p. 11) is either a typo for 16 million Protestants or a surprising admission of a huge jump in the number of Christians.

 

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Buddhists praised for contributions[ERE/2006/12/23]

      The Buddhist Academy of China was established on December 21, 1956. On its 50th anniversary, the government voiced its support for Buddhist instates which "have contributed greatly to the building of a harmonious society as well as to world peace." The foundation stone of a new campus, the 35th Buddhist school, was laid in Beijing on that day, and it will open in time for the 2008 Olympics. In addition to research on the Scripture, the Academy aims to help China become a "strong, democratic, civilized harmonious and modern country." China now has roughly 100 million Buddhists, with 200,000 monks and nuns in 20,000 temples.

Source: China Daily, Friday, December 22, 2006, p. 3.

Comment:

      Buddhism survived a great persecution after 1956, and it is going to be part of the Chinese scene for a long time to come. So the government might as well enlist its support.

 

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Religions Plays a Role [ERE/2006/11/16]

      An amazing editorial begins "Religions, like concrete contributions from all walks of life, have a role to play in the building of a harmonious society." This view is far from the earlier evaluation of religion as an opiate and would have been "unimaginable before the 1970s when ideology featuring class struggle dominated." Islam, Christianity and Catholicism (sic), listed in that order as the three largest religious organizations in China [?], all have taboos and codes of conduct for their followers, as do Buddhism and Daoism. "All these exactly match what a decent citizen is required to be today."

Source: China Daily, p. 4, Thursday, November 16, 2006

Comment:

      Since religion is now admitted to be so good, then it would seem that China would become a more harmonious society if more atheists were to follow this or that religion. Does the PRC government want to go on record as encouraging religious conversions?

 

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Archbishop Acknowledges Changes [ERE/2006/11/02]

      The Archbishop of Canterbury, [Dr.] Rowan Williams, visited China from October 8-23. The spiritual head of the 77-million member Anglican Communion said that he "has gained a deeper understanding of China's progress in religious freedom and its role in establishing a 'harmonious society.'" Anglican theologians will teach in the Protestant seminary in Nanjing, and Chinese seminarians go abroad for further study.

Source: Beijing Review, vol. 49, no. 44, (November 2, 2006), p. 2.

Comment: China has come a long way from the days of calling religion "the opium of the people," but it still has a long way to go on freedom of religious activity. Two previous Archbishops of Canterbury visited China in the 1980s and 1990s. Since he is not the juridical head of his Church, Dr. Williams has an easier time getting invited than does the Pope, the Bishop of Rome.

 

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Religions 'can play big role in harmonious society [ERE/2006/07/22]

      On Friday, July 21, Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs [SARA], said, "Religions are one of the social forces that are worth much attention in the country's social and economic construction. They can play an active yet unique role in many aspects." He referred to the positive elements in the teachings that guide China's 100 million believers. Religious departments should help the religions adapt to the general mainstream of the socialist society.

Source: China Daily, Saturday, July 22, 2006, p. 4.

Comment:

      They have come a long way from condemning religion as opium! By mentioning "all Chinese religions," including the five officially sanctioned ones (Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Catholic and Protestant), Ye dropped a hint of providing more room for other religions in the future. Ye repeated the policy that, as always, religion should adapt to socialism, not the other way around.

 

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Buddhism 'contributes to a harmonious society [ERE/2006/04/12]

      The World Buddhist Forum will soon convene in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang. The theme for this meeting will be "a harmonious world begins in the mind." Ye Xiaowen, Director of SARA (State Administration for Religious Affairs) said that Buddhism has "profound ideas of harmony and a conception of peace," to relieve strain among people and between people and nature. Ye also said, "religious force is one of the important social forces from which China draws strength." China strives for both a harmonious domestic society and a harmonious world, and Buddhism has international ties. China has at least 20,000 Buddhist temples, and about 200,000 monks and nuns.

Source: China Daily, Tuesday, April 11, 2006, p. 4.

Comment:

      The challenge to build a harmonious society in a harmonious world is so huge that both Communists and religious believers need to enlist all the help they can get.

 

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Dr. Han Wenzao, RIP, age 83 [ERE/2006/02/05]

      Dr. Han Wenzao died in Nanjing on February 3, 2006 at age 83. He served with the Amity Foundation from 1985 to 2003, and was president of the China Christian Council from 1996 to 2002. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and three grandchildren.

Source: china.Infodoc@online.be February 4, 2006/2/7

Comment:

      For twenty years, he was one of China's most prominent Protestants, certainly the one with the most contacts with foreign visitors. It goes without saying that he suffered for his faith earlier in life.

 

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Chinese pilgrims to haj hit record [ERE/2006/01/20]

      In January, 7000 Chinese Muslims joined 2.5 million Muslims from around the world in the annual haj, the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca. The number of pilgrims was only a dozen a year from the 1950s to 1980. Then it rose to 260 in 1985, 850 in 1990, and 2000 in 1995. Most pilgrims come from the northwest, plus Inner Mongolia, Henan and Yunnan. Since 1989, the Chinese Muslim Association has chartered planes for the pilgrims. A stampede last week claimed 362 lives, including 5 Chinese. [Based on the moon calendar, the moon for the haj varies from year to year in the solar calendar.]

Source: China Daily, Thursday, January 19, 2006, p. 4.

Comment:

      Muslims are one-fifth of the human race, or about 1.3 billion, and 1 in 520 went on haj this year. They constitute slightly more than 1% (?) of China's population, or at least 14 million, 1 in 2000 of whom went on haj, but the number keeps rising.

 

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Do We Need Religious Education? [ERE/2006/01/13]

      Lii Haibo's column explores the need for teaching Chinese students the moral criteria and codes of conduct of world religions. This is a far cry from religion as the "opium of the people," and the view of 40 or 50 years ago that China needs science and technology, not religion. Yet so many people now believe in nothing but money, and are so cut-throat at getting ahead in life, that the moral strength of religion is needed to supplement the ethical teaching currently given in Chinese schools.

Source: Beijing Review, vol. 49, no. 2 (January 12, 2006), p. 48.

Comment:

      Without doubt many officials will attack this plan to enlist religious morality (not theology or metaphysics) to aid in the formation of the next generation of citizens. But the fact that people are discussing this - inconceivable just a decade ago! - points to a deadly spiritual vacuum in China today.

 

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Confucianism will never be embraced as religion [ERE/2006/01/07]

      Jiang Qing, a retired teacher and conservative Confucian, has published articles calling Confucianism a religion, and advocating Confucianism for the official religion of China. This would strengthen China in the face of Western challenges. The editorial admits that the legacy should be made relevant to modern China, but strongly denies that Confucianism was or is a religion, since Confucius neither considered himself a god nor promoted the worship of God.

Source: China Daily, Friday, January 6, 2006, p. 8.

Comment:

      Two distinct questions need to be separated clearly and answered one after the other: Is Confucianism a religion (as listed in Hong Kong), or a philosophy (as listed in the Mainland)? Should China have a state-sponsored religion? In 2006, it's surprising to read of anyone suggesting the establishment of an official religion for China.

 

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Stones indicate earlier Christian link? [ERE/2005/12/24]

      Sometime between 100 and 220 AD, an official in the secondary city of Xuzhou in Jiangsu was buried in a tomb that was not discovered until 1954. The walls of the tomb room were carved with different ../images of life and afterlife, as was common in the Han Dynasty. But a historian just recently noticed that one panel shows a couple in a manger with a baby, three visitors bearing gifts, and assassins coming from the other direction. Is this the Christmas story? Another panel shows a woman picking fruit from a tree while a snake bites her. This may indicate Jewish influence, but four fishermen casting their nets have overtones of the Gospel. Did a missionary reach China so early?

Source: China Daily, Thursday, December 22, 2005, p. 7.

Comment:

      Yes, it is worth looking for other early traces of Christianity. It would have been possible to get to China from the Middle East by land 2000 years ago, but one intriguing find is not a "smoking gun."

 

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Confucian Revival [ERE/2005/12/07]

      Centuries ago, Buddhists and Daoists in China made great efforts to compile the sacred texts and later commentaries on their religions. For the first time, scholars are gathering all the works related to Confucianism in order to issue an exhaustive collection. Scholars at Beijing University will write a history of this philosophy, catalog 10,000 titles, proofread and correct misprints, and finally issue a 5000 volume edition by 2020. Dr. Tu Weiming, 65, originally from Taiwan but now the greatest authority at Harvard University on the Confucian canon, was warmly welcomed to Beijing in November to discuss the contribution of the tradition to young people today: a sense of direction, purpose in life, love of learning, and character building.

Source: China Daily, Wednesday, December 7, 2005, p. 19.

Comment:

      While Chinese translations of Marx, Engels and Lenin mostly gather dust, Confucianism still has vitality, as the government earnestly hopes.

 

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Market-oriented Temple Learns Modern Ways [ERE/2005/09/14]

      The ancient Jade Buddha Monastery in Shanghai is a magnet for pilgrims and tourists. It hired a property manager to run the every day household chores, and sent 15 of its 280 monks to learn the most common language of foreign visitors. Big donors get their names attached to statues, and there is a set fee for blessing an auto. But the overly commercial aspects make it look too much like a market place to some observers. Shanghai Jiaotong University has launched a new MBA program on how to run a Buddhist temple.

Source: China Daily, Wednesday, September 7, 2005, p. 1.


Comment:

      What would Buddha do? As a Catholic analogy, there are souvenir shops next to major Catholic venues of pilgrimage, yes, but the Church has gotten into trouble over the centuries for having money changers too close to the sanctuary.

 

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Good news items from northern China [ERE/2005/07/19]

      On April 25, 2 priests and 11 lay people of Baoding in Hebei paid a visit on 30 widows in a home for the elderly.

      On May 1 in Renqiu City in the Diocese of Cangzhou, Hebei, 2000 people attended Mass to celebrate the renovation of St. Joseph¡¯s Church. The photo shows a pretty blue facade and twin spires topped by crosses.

      On May 7 in Beijing, five couples baptized a few weeks earlier at the Easter Vigil had their marriages blessed in a joint ceremony in church.

      On May 15, Pentecost, 8 churches from Shanxi east to Shandong, from Heilongjiang south to Sichuan, reported over 260 Confirmations. Some people received Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion

      Catholics in the Hongjialou parish in the diocese of Jinan, Shandong, raised 6054 RMB ($725 US) for medical treatment for a baby boy only five months old. [Illness is a disaster for farm families, since they lack insurance.]

      In 2002, when young Fr. Bai Wentai of the Diocese of Weinan in Shaanxi first went to the chapel in Andong Village, one of 8 in his parish, he found 58 Catholics. Now they number 236, four times as many. In the spirit of Vatican II, Fr. Bai taught the laity that they have a responsibility to evangelize their neighbors and friends. He also led them on pilgrimage, and got outside speakers from Ningbo and Shanghai.

Source: Faith Fortnightly, no. 238 (June 1, 2005), p. 1.

Comment:

      The secular media seldom reports good news, but there are many hopeful events in the Catholic Church in China.

 

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"The church nationwide rejoices in new blood at the Easter Vigil"[ERE/2005/07/19]

      During the Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 26, 2005, churches across China welcomed new members by Baptism, and also gave to those who are no longer infants or small children the other two Sacraments of Initiation: First Communion and Confirmation. A set of 26 cathedrals and churches from Shanghai and 10 provinces sent numbers. These total 968 baptisms, or an average of 37.2 per parish, cause for rejoicing.

Source: Faith Fortnightly, no. 235, (April 15, 2005), p. 1. (math added)

Comments:

      Some parishes reported just 4 or 5 baptisms, so the church newspaper did not selectively mention only those with large totals. Since there are 6000 cathedrals, churches and chapels across China, the grand total of newly baptized must be quite large.

 

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Islamic Institute in Xinjiang [ERE/2005/06/27]

      The Islamic Institute in Kashi, Xinjiang, in the far northwestern corner of China, was established in 1991. The three-year program accepts high school graduates. It has 150 students who study the Koran in Arabic, and other courses in Arabic or Uygur. Graduates become imams, Muslim prayer leaders. Some students come from the Tajik ethnic minority. Every Friday, 10,000 pray at the Idkah Mosque in Kashi. The area was Buddhist before it became Muslim in the 10th century.

Source: China Daily, Saturday, June 25, 2005, p. 1.

Comment:

      What little coverage Xinjiang gets in the foreign press usual focuses on restrictions on the Muslim population. There is another side to the story.

 

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Helping Poor Catholic Children Stay in School [ERE/2005/05/26]

      Interior provinces and remote farming villages do not yet share the prosperity of coastal China. Staying in school can become impossible if the student or a family member gets sick. Last August 15, Faith Press printed tiny photos, names and a couple of sentences each on 45 students. On February 15, 2005, the Catholic paper announced that people had donated 438,704 RMB ($52,600 US) for those needy students. Donors outside Mainland China gave 21% of the total. So Faith Press printed 36 new photos and their problems, e.g., "mother has cancer, older brother broke his leg." The 20 boys and 17 girls range in age from 7 to 18, but most are between 11 to 14. A Sister or priest is named for each student, to guarantee that the donations reach their destination.

Source: Faith Press, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei, Aug. 15, 2004 and May 15, 2005.

Comment:

      The government admits that is does not have the resources for a complete social welfare "safety net," so it welcomes NGO's to lend a hand. A stay in the hospital is out of the question for many farm families, no matter what the illness.

 

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Coverage of New Pope [ERE/2005/05/10]

      Faith Fortnightly devoted two of its eight pages to color photos and news of the election of Card. Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. On April 20, the Two Associations of the Catholic Church notified all the dioceses in China to pray for the new pope. The Foreign Ministry that same day sent its congratulations while also expressing hope for the normalization of diplomatic relations.

Source: Faith Fortnightly, no. 236, (May 1, 2005), p. 1, p. 8.

      This is upbeat and happy coverage by China's leading Catholic newspaper. The editor avoided reprinting the two demands to break ties with Taiwan and stop "interfering in the internal affairs of the Church in China" - good he did not have to repeat the Party line on this occasion.

 

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Message to New Pope [ERE/2005/04/21]

      China's Foreign Ministry sent a note of congratulations to Pope Benedict XVI on April 20, 2005. The message repeated that China hopes to improve ties with the Catholic Church, as soon as the Vatican breaks ties with Taiwan and promises not to interfere in China's internal affairs.

Source: China Daily, Thursday, April 21, 2005, p. 5.

Comment:

      This item was a single paragraph with no photo, in contrast to lavish press coverage elsewhere in the world. How diplomatic is it to say in the same breath, "Congratulations! We want you to meet two conditions ...?" China has certainly not gained any status internationally by repeating its demands at the outset of a new papacy. Do not expect any breakthrough in Sino-Vatican ties in the near future.

 

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U.S. Experts on China Comment on New Religious Regulations By Michael J. Sloboda, [ERE/2005/03/17]

      On Monday, March 14, 2005, at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., three US China experts gave their evaluations on the new Religious Regulations, which came into effect on March 1.

The Representatives wanted answers to these questions:

 

Is the new regulation likely to increase or decrease the role of the State in religious life?
Does the new regulation offer believers any redress against abuse?
Will the new rules legalize a greater variety of worship beyond the currently accepted five "official" religions? Will China's indigenous religions be allowed more scope under the new regulations?
Will the regulation's guarantee of freedom of religion survive broad prohibitions against "using religion to harm national interests, society's public interests, and citizens' legal rights and interests"?

      Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin, consultant and Research Professor, George Mason University, sees a process of bargaining at work in the drafting of the new regulations, and she foresees further bargaining ahead between local government officials and congregations as the rules are implemented. China is in the process of "outgrowing socialism" with increased foreign investment and domestic restructuring, yet the state is still promoting atheism in the media and restricting religious activities on campuses. Government supervision in all social organizations is still intrusive, prompted by fears about national security. While there are "no guarantees or even probabilities of progress," the new regulations "still signal some important possibilities." Overall, it looks like "religious believers have won some grudging acceptance by the authorities that they are here to stay and have legitimate interests that must be taken into account."

      Prof. Daniel Bays, Professor of History and head of the Asian Studies Program, Calvin College does not see a "paradigm shift." The regulations may indirectly assist believers, but the focus is on regular and more effective bureaucratic control. Terms are vaguely defined. Yet the document echoes age-old concerns of Chinese regimes: "insistence on registration and licensing, deep fear of heterodoxy, paranoia about religious forces becoming politically subversive." On the brighter side, some people are starting "to realize that laws should protect citizens as well as being instruments of the state." And the state now admits that religious groups perform needed social services, "almost a tacit admission that the state isn't doing very well in meeting these responsibilities."

      Ms. Mickey Spiegel, Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch, New York, reviews Chinese religious policy after the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 and the different government documents issued over the years. She links the emergence Falunggong, (which came out of the blue in 1999) to triggering the government to strengthen its pronouncement as to what is legal and orthodox as opposed to unorthodox and hence illegal. As usual, undefined terms such as "normal" and vague wording "make it difficult to understand precisely what compliance requires and leave considerable leeway for national and local interpretation." Registering religious bodies "in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations on Registration Administration of Associations," means increased bureaucratic hassle. She concludes: "No, the March 1, 2005 regulations are at best, a cosmetic cover up.

Source: http://www.cecc.gov/pages/roundatables/031405/index.php,Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Comment:

      All three speakers analyzed the religious regulations for the US House of Representatives. None of them was asked to recommend a response by the US, and none of them offered any potential course of action. Even so, it's easy to predict that Beijing will take offense at this "interfering in China's internal affairs." Maybe China will have some comments next year about freedom of religion in the USA.

      None of the speakers noted that these are regulations issued by the State Council, not a Law on Religion from the National People's Congress.

 

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11th Panchen Continues His Studies[ERE/2005/03/03]

      Erdeni, age 15, continues his reading of sutras, practices meditation, and studies Chinese plus some English and Sanskrit. He lives at a monastery in Xigaze, Tibet, and has the best tutors in all of Tibetan Buddhism. He does his homework on a computer.

Source: China Daily, Thursday, March 3, 2005, p. 18.

Comment:

      For some reason, the article does not use the traditional title, lama. Analogous to Catholic religious orders such as Franciscans and Jesuits, the Dalai and Panchen lamas of old Tibet led large monastic groups. Erdeni is the government's choice for Panchen lama. Odd that the Communists have set themselves up as experts in deciding who is the reincarnation of whom.

 

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"The Jews of Harbin"[ERE/2005/01/03b]

      At the end of the 19th century, Russia wanted to build a railroad in northeast China, so Harbin began to grow. The first Jews arrived in 1898. The community peaked at over 20,000 and found refuge from religious persecution in Russia. The last Jews left for Israel in 1963. Some of their children and grandchildren have returned as tourists. Household pianos are more common in Harbin than anywhere else in China, one legacy of the Jewish community.

Source: Beijing Review, Oct 14, 2004 (vol 47, no. 41), pp.22-23.

 

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Nanjing Seminary [ERE/2005/01/03a]

      Officially there are16 million Protestant Christians in China, but the Beijing Review admits that foreign estimates are "much higher." Anyway, the faithful need well-trained pastors. The education level of rural pastors is lower than that of urban ones. Nanjing Union Theological Seminary does what it can.

Once again "a place of quiet," Nanjing seminary was founded in 1952, closed due to Cultural Revolution, and reopened in 1981. It now has 200 students, male and female, and 30 full-time teachers, including Raymond and Rhea Whitehead of Canada. It teaches English, Greek and Hebrew. While the academic program is demanding, seminary students not eligible for half-price train tickets as are other university students.

Source: Beijing Review, Sept 16, 2004, (vol 47, no. 37), pp. 30-33.

Comment:

      Information about religious believers is hard to find in Mainland sources. For example, the 2004 China Statistical Yearbook has 1000 pages on everything, including minority groups and education, but nothing on the number of adherents of this or that faith.

 

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New Regulations on Religious Affairs [ERE/2004/12/29]

      Xinhua News on 18 December 2004 released Decree No. 426 of the State Council. These Regulations on Religious Affairs will go into effect on 1 March 2005. They replace the 1994 Regulations on Religious Venues and codify various existing regulations.

      Most of the 48 Articles repeat and standardize existing policy. One new point is that administrative organs and their staff are warned not to exceed their authority. A religious organization has the right to appeal a decision - one positive step.

 

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Lisu Christians Celebrate Christmas [ERE/2004/12/28]

      The Dong Fang Daily in Hong Kong ran a photo on December 25. Lisu Christians in their traditional garb were singing carols on Christmas Eve indoors. A cross was prominently visible on the wall. In northwest Yunnan, 70% of the Lisu are Christians. There are 700,000 Lisu in China, most of whom live in Lushui County.

 

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