Country Profile - China
Population: 1.3 billion
Capital: Beijing
Government Type: Communist state
Religion: Non-religious 40%; Chinese Universalists 30%; Christian 8.5%; Buddhist 8.5%; Atheist 8%; Other 5%
History
China's rich cultural heritage stretches back thousands of years - but this heritage has been undermined by China's recent history under communism.
The People's Republic of China was formed in 1949 under Chairman Mao Zedong.
During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, his purge of anything or anyone that did not conform to his communist vision cost the lives of millions of Chinese people.
Today, China has moved from a narrow centralised economy to a free market economy which is the fastest-growing on the planet.
But its social reform has not kept pace with economic changes: its regime maintains strict control over all aspects of society.
A measure of its engagement with the rest of the world was the fact that Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic games. But campaigners protest that its human rights record should have disqualified it from this honour
Religious context
Although the constitution provides for religious freedom, China's Government has consistently tried to control religious practice.
All religious groups are required to register. Those who refuse are regarded as 'illegal' and sometimes forced underground.
State-sanctioned churches are closely monitored. 'Illegal' groups are frequently branded 'evil cults', which makes it easier to prosecute them; their leaders particularly risk torture or imprisonment.
Under the Chinese system of 're-education through labour', between three and five million people are detained in prison camps, often without trial. Some are held for their religious views.
Persecution
In an attempt to silence its international critics, China has in recent years passed laws purporting to underline its commitment to religious freedom.
Such laws are, however, contradicted by secret official documents leaked to the international media. These speak of the regime's intention to 'boost Marxist atheism research, propaganda and education' and to 'ban all uncivilised conduct in spreading superstitions' - a description often used of house church activity.
Other leaked documents gave notice of a crackdown on house churches. The detention of groups of Christians across several provinces in late-2010 was widely perceived as proof that this diktat had been implemented.
Ten pastors of the Linfen-Fushan Church in Shanxi were jailed for between three and seven years after protesting against the demolition of their new church building in September 2009. Some 400 government officials, police and hired thugs destroyed the building and attacked church members, leaving 30 of them seriously injured.
Nor has there been any respite from harassment for prominent individuals. In February 2009, the Chinese authorities provoked international uproar when they seized Beijing human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who is a Christian. In March 2010, Gao was allowed to make contact with his family, who had fled to the US for their own safety. But he disappeared again about two weeks later. Gao had made public statements about being tortured by security police in 2007 - despite being warned not to do so.
Meanwhile, Uyghur Christian Alimjan Yimit, a house church leader from Xinjiang, is serving a 15-year sentence on the apparently contrived charge of 'providing state secrets to overseas organisations' - simply for speaking to visiting Christians from the US.
Despite all this, the church in China is growing.
Release projects
Release's projects in China include:
- Printing / producing and distributing a book about Christian marriage, as well as other Christian resources
- Organising and facilitating leadership training for leaders of unregistered churches
- Supporting workers in China who investigate cases of persecution, provide support to families and arrange legal aid
Sources: BBC; China Aid; Compass Direct; International Christian Concern; Operation World; Release International; The World Factbook 2010; World Christian Database.
Updated January 2011