A harmonious society

Edited by Tony Lambert, OMF Director for China Research

China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) opened on March 5. The 3,000 delegates discussed the Party leadership’s plans to fight injustice, pollution and poverty. Although they have no real power and can only enact policies already decided by the Party, they acted as consultants to discuss more than 5,000 proposals on the economy, science, politics and social security issues.

Premier Wen Jiabao in his opening report stated that:

• In 2007 China’s GDP is planned to grow by about eight percent (slightly less than before);
• Social harmony and stability as well as a better life are an important goal;
• More than 392 billion RMB will be allocated to helping farmers (an increase of 52 billion RMB over last year);
• China will set up a nationwide basic minimum cost of living allowance system this year for rural residents;
• Rural co-operative medical care will be expanded to cover 80 percent of all counties and county-level cities;
• Targets to cut both energy consumption and discharge of major pollutants were not met, falling short by four percent and two percent respectively;
• Education at all levels is a strategic priority: a State student loan policy will be further implemented to help children from poor families;
• Measures will be taken to narrow the increasing gap in income levels between rich and poor.

The Congress is expected to enact an important law on private property which has been delayed for three years. Breakneck reconstruction in many cities prior to the Olympics has seen private companies and Party officials colluding to seize land and demolish homes. Peasants and poor workers are often powerless to obtain compensation. Some have even committed suicide and there have been many violent clashes. The vice-minister of the central office of Financial and Economic Affairs recently stated: “Disputes about possession of land are the cause of more than 50 percent of all social protests” (which numbered more than 80,000 last year).

The NPC also discussed urgent measures to tackle pollution. More than 60 percent of China’s waters have now been polluted by toxic waste. Water shortage and climactic changes have dealt devastating blows to farmers in many areas. At least 500,000 people die annually from diseases caused by air pollution
(Sources: Xinhua, Asianews, chinaview.cn, 3-5 March 2007).

THE PASSING OF MECCA ZHAO

Back to Jerusalem missionary pioneer Mecca Zhao (Zhao Maijia) was called home to glory at 9:30 am on Wednesday, March 7.

Brother Zhao was sent out by the Back to Jerusalem Band (BTJB) in 1946. He traveled with Timothy Dai through Gansu to Qinghai. Later they were joined by six other members of the Band. Mecca pressed on into Xinjiang in 1948 where he set up an evangelistic base in Shache on the western rim of the Taklamakan desert where China meets with Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was the first Chinese missionary to enter southern Xinjiang and never left his field of service for 59 years.

Born in 1919 Zhao studied at the North West Bible Institute, jointly founded by the China Inland Mission and the China Free Methodist Church during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. Pastor Mark Ma, the principal, was founder of the BTJB. In 1953 Mecca married Grace He who had also taught there. During his last years they both lived in a small farm on the outskirts of Kashgar where Grace, now 90, still continues as a faithful witness.

BIBLES IN CHINA’S HOTELS?

Bibles should be placed in China’s hotels during the 2008 Beijing Olympics to clear up foreigners’ misconceptions about religion in China. So advises a prominent patriotic Christian leader in China, who heads up China’s official Catholic church.

“A large number of foreign athletes and tourists will swarm into Beijing for the games, a majority of whom have religious belief, and providing Bibles at hotels will meet their religious needs,” said Liu Banyan, the vice-president of the China Patriotic Catholic Association. “The Bible is a must at hotel rooms in foreign countries, especially European countries” (Reuters, 10 March 2007).

More than 2 million Bibles are printed annually for distribution within China by the Amity Press in Nanjing. However, so far they have not been allowed to be placed in hotel rooms.

If the rules were to be changed because of the Olympics, this would present a breathtaking opportunity for the Gideons International and other Bible agencies as there are tens of millions of hotel rooms in China. Let God’s people everywhere pray that this will become a reality!

NEW BOOKS

TAIWANS WORKING CLASS—A PRAYER GUIDE. OMF, 2006.
This is one of the latest additions to the new series of 30-day prayer guides published by OMF. It is full of moving personal stories highlighting the spiritual and physical needs of Taiwan’s working-class people. Meet Yi Ping a schoolboy on drugs, and A-beng who cares for a severely disabled little girl. Pray for our workers reaching out to people whose busy lifestyles as taxi drivers or factory workers precludes them from “normal” church life.

PEOPLES OF THE BUDDHIST WORLD. Paul Hattaway. Piquant, 2006.
This massive (454 pages), beautifully illustrated book lives up to its name—A Christian Prayer Guide. It is well-documented and covers more than 200 different people groups in all the countries in Asia where Buddhists live —Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam etc.—and, of course, China.

Much more detail could have been allotted to Buddhism among the Han Chinese (only 20 pages) and to Japanese Buddhism (which gets only a scanty six pages) and to the many different schools of Buddhism. There is no real coverage of Chan (Zen) Buddhism or other major schools of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. There is less than one page of explanation at the start on the three major branches of Buddhism: Mahayana, Theravada and Tibetan (although there is a good historical overview of the last named later in the book). This is a serious weakness. However, the division of the subject along ethnic lines will stimulate prayer for different Buddhist people groups which is the main objective. This book is a mine of useful information. Highly recommended. Not available from OMF Books.

CHINA’S CHRISTIAN MARTYRS. Paul Hattaway. Monarch Books, 2007.
This reviewer was eagerly anticipating this book (496 pages). It includes the stirring stories of hundreds of Christian martyrs in China down the ages from the time of the Nestorians to the present. Unlike the author’s other works on unreached people groups, this book does not include any references to his sources (apart from a few photos). This is a serious omission.

More disturbing, at the close of the book under martyrs of the 21st century, Xu Shuangfu, formerly the leader of the Three Grades of Servants (Sanban Puren) cult, is highlighted (even with a full page photo). Xu was executed last November for his purported responsibility for the murders of 20 Eastern Lightning cultists by his own followers. Due judicial process may not have been followed as it is claimed he was tortured to extract a confession. However, there is no doubt that Xu was leader of a notorious cult. This is recognized within China on all sides, including the mainstream house churches (and not as the author has claimed just by the government and the TSPM). Xu usurped the place of Christ commanding his followers to pray for forgiveness to God only through him, and those who disobeyed were severely beaten. This created a culture of fear and violence within the cult. The inclusion of Xu is a serious error of judgment. Would Christians be happy to buy a book on Western Christian martyrs in which Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons who was lynched by a mob, was included alongside Cranmer, Ridley and Tyndale who were burnt for their faith? We think not. Similarly, Chinese believers will be deeply offended by Xu’s inclusion in the roll of martyrs. Other than this, it is a deeply moving story of the many Chinese and Western missionary martyrs who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of Christ in China. Not available from OMF Books.

Copyright 2007 by OMF International