All articles in category China

A visit to China Part 1

By Jack and Angelina Sin

January 2008

China

A visit to China Part 1

A visit to China China is the most populous nation in the world and territorially the third largest. It has changed greatly since the drive for modernisation began under Deng Siow Ping in the 1970s. With a huge market of 1.3 billion people, it is well poised to host the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. From 6-19 September 2007 we visited the cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Dalian, fellowshipping with believers and conducting Christian meetings there. China’s mainstream churches are known as the Three Self Churches (self-propagating, self-supporting and self-ruling). They are largely managed by the state authorities. House churches, however, abound and...

Chinese puzzle

January 2002

China

Chinese puzzle

It can be difficult to grasp the true state of a church from a distance. This is particularly true when we live many thousands of miles away and speak a different language! In recent years there have been reports of great movements of God in China. We hear of large numbers of converts to Christianity and frequent periods of persecution. It is therefore helpful when the situation is assessed by someone who has researched it first hand and can provide a biblical perspective. We reproduce below an edited version of a letter received from Phoebe Ma, former chief editor of the Chinese Reformed magazine Faith...

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT-House churches in China

December 1999

China

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT-House churches in China

Leaders of major house-church movements in China have issued a ‘united appeal’ calling on the Chinese Government to recognise the legitimacy of Christian groups outside the government-approved ‘Three Self Patriotic Movement’. The seven-point statement, issued from an unidentified location in Henan province and dated 22 August 1998, was reportedly drafted by twelve house church leaders from various provinces. Their repeated use of the term ‘Chinese House Church’ suggests that these leaders view themselves not as members of scattered, unrelated groups but rather as part of a larger body. In the first such statement directed at the Chinese Government, these leaders call on the government to...

Letter from Hong Kong

By Cameron Tallach

May 1999

China

Letter from Hong Kong

Prior to its return to China probably the most frequently asked question about Hong Kong was, ‘What will it be like after [1 July] 1997?’ Now, almost two years after the hand-over, ‘Business as usual’ is probably the simplest answer. It is also appropriate, because business is what Hong Kong is largely about and most high-level decisions seem to be made to protect those interests. Few changes ‘One country, two systems’ was Deng Xiao Ping’s formula for Hong Kong’s reunification with the motherland. The Beijing authorities promised to leave the province unchanged for fifty years after its return to China, and it would seem...

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT

December 1998

China

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT

House churches in China Leaders of major house-church movements in China have issued a ‘united appeal’ calling on the Chinese Government to recognise the legitimacy of Christian groups outside the government-approved ‘Three Self Patriotic Movement’. The seven-point statement, issued from an unidentified location in Henan province and dated 22 August 1998, was reportedly drafted by twelve house church leaders from various provinces. Their repeated use of the term ‘Chinese House Church’ suggests that these leaders view themselves not as members of scattered, unrelated groups but rather as part of a larger body. In the first such statement directed at the Chinese Government, these...

HONG KONG – one year on

By Tony Lambert

August 1998

China

HONG KONG – one year on

It is now just over one year since the return of Hong Kong to China. After the glamorous celebrations of the hand-over on 1 July 1997, Hong Kong has met many challenges. The greatest has been the shock wave from the economic crisis in south-east Asia. Hong Kong is still trying desperately to prevent a downward spiral in its own local economy. Unemployment figures released in May showed that unemployment reached a high of 3.9% – a record for the last ten years. Many shops and restaurants have gone out of business. Property prices have dropped by at least 10-20%. For the 15,000 university...

Missionary Spotlight-China – Churches still under pressure

April 1998

China

Missionary Spotlight-China – Churches still under pressure

We sat under the coconut palms, on an island off the coast of south China, as the young Chinese pastor shared with me the pressures upon his church. His church had been formed in 1992 and grew rapidly to over 200 people. The believers built a large church building with a palm-thatched roof. But in October 1997 the local authorities declared the church illegal and tore down the building. Since then the Christians have been meeting in three smaller cell-groups, in various homes. I visited one of these homes: a simple red cross adorned the rough walls: ‘Emmanuel’ was written in Chinese over a blackboard...

Missionary Spotlight – China

July 1997

China

Missionary Spotlight – China

Features Third largest land-mass in the world: 3.5 million sq. miles. Highest population in the world: 1.2 billion. 67 million belong to ethnic minorities in border areas like Tibet and Inner Mongolia. Bounded by Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, North Korea, Russia. Very high plateaux and mountains, as well as desert. Frequent natural disasters, including earthquakes and flooding. Cities: Beijing (capital) – 10.8 million; Shanghai – 13.3 million. 40 cities with over 1 million people. Hong Kong will revert back to China in July 1997. Macao is due to be returned to China by Portugal in 1999. China also (unsuccessfully) lays claim to...

Hong Kong – an uncertain future

By Paul Davenport

July 1997

China

Hong Kong – an uncertain future

Hong Kong is a city of paradox and contradictions. This becomes clear the moment you touch down at busy Kai Tak airport. Hong Kong in Cantonese means ‘fragrant harbour’ but even as you reach for your luggage in the overhead rack some very different odours from the filthy harbour permeate the cabin! Hong Kong in the 1840s was a small fishing village – today it is one of the financial centres of the world, with a breathtaking waterfront of towering offices and hotels. Hong Kong under British rule kept to an archaic system of colonial government, yet paradoxically enjoyed the benefits of a British...