Categories: christianity
Date: 04 March 2009 10:36:22
China Languages: Mandarin (official), many local languages Christianity has a long history in China. It was first introduced no later than the 6th century, probably by Orthodox Christians. Catholics arrived in the 13th century and Protestant missionaries from 1807. Numbers of Christians increased rapidly followed by waves of persecution. All foreign missionaries were expelled in 1949 and the Communist government sought to bring organised Christianity under state control. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) Christian activity was suppressed to such an extent that it was forced underground and the "house church" movement was born. Now, the government permits the practice of Christianity as long as it takes place under the auspices of the state-controlled churches - and their activities are highly restricted. House churches are illegal and subject to harassment: their buildings may be closed and their pastors arrested and imprisoned. Bibles may be printed in China but other religious materials from abroad may not be distributed without its being officially approved. It is not known exactly how many Christians there are in China but recent government estimates range from around 54 million to 130 million - in a total population of over 1.3 billion.