China
Demographics
The People’s Republic of China
is the third largest country in the world. The only countries
that are larger are Russia and Canada. It is a land of remarkable
contrasts, possibly the most diverse in the world. From its
hot, barren deserts, to its snowy peaks, from wide rivers to
terraced hillsides, it presents a landscape that is both beautiful
and harsh.
People, People, People…
 China
has the largest population of any country in the world. Here
you will find the home of one fifth of the world’s people—people
as diverse as its landscape. China’s more than one billion people
are divided into about 456 distinct ethnic groups. Only about
55 are officially recognized for administrative convenience.
More than one fourth of the people
live in China’s many huge, bustling towns and cities. The capital
of China is Beijing, where over 12 million people live. Shanghai,
the country’s largest city, has a population of over 14 million
people. One of the reasons that the cities are so crowded is
that millions of the unemployed country people have flocked
to the cities seeking opportunities and work. In China you might
well feel surrounded! Everywhere you go there
will be people and more people! Thus, it might well be said
that people are the most notable thing about China.
A Leader in Civilization
China has a very interesting history.
For many years it was a leader in civilization. They were the
first to invent paper, gunpowder, fireworks, silk, and many
other things. They had a thriving civilization when most of
Europe was still “barbarian.”
One of the most impressive features
of China’s ancient civilization is the Great Wall, built about
five hundred years before the time of Christ. It stretches for
4,160 miles and is the only manmade structure that the unaided
human eye can see from the moon. The ruler, Quin Shihuang, used
prisoners of war, convicts, soldiers, and civilians to build
it. Many died of starvation, disease, and exhaustion during
its construction, and their bodies were buried in the wall.
Any materials nearby – clay, stone, branches, reeds, and sand
– were also used. The wall is about 20 feet wide and 26 feet
high. It is wide enough in some places for 10 soldiers to walk
side by side.
Communism and Control
When the Communists took over
in 1949, their goal was to make a society where everyone would
be equal, neither rich nor poor. They set up collective farms
and huge factories where everyone worked together. Because the
population was growing very quickly, the government made a law
in 1979 that each couple could only have one child. The children
were, for the most part, raised by the government while the
parents worked on collective farms. Without proper discipline,
being the only child meant that many of the children, especially
the boys, became very spoiled. They got the nickname “Little
Emperors.” Many of the elderly suffer because of this law, as
there is no one to care for them.
The government did their best
to rid China of all religions. China was declared officially
atheist. All the missionaries were forced to leave in 1950;
the door was slammed tightly. For thirty years it was even difficult
to get news of what was happening to the national Christians.
The Persecuted Church Grows
The Cultural Revolution (1966-76)
caused much suffering and economic disaster. It is estimated
that 20 million Chinese lost their lives during the persecution
of that time. Churches were closed or destroyed. Leaders were
arrested and killed. Many of the Christians were imprisoned
or sent to labor camps. Life would have been easier if they
would have just said they didn’t believe in Jesus anymore; but
they would not turn back, and they would not be silent. Even
if it was illegal to preach or teach about God, they kept on
quietly sharing their faith. They met in homes and in the countryside
since they could not use a church building.
Chinese from other countries went
to visit their relatives and friends, smuggling Bibles in with
them. They brought back reports that, instead of disappearing
as the Communists had hoped, the church was continuing to grow.
Since the death of Mao Zedong
(1976), there has been much economic reform, and China now has
the eighth largest economy in the world. However, the government
keeps very tight control on all religious activity, and there
has been intense persecution of all unregistered Christian activity
(e.g., the thousands of house churches).
Even though it is still not legal
to be a missionary in China, some people go as students and
professionals so that they can share their faith. The Bible
is once more being printed in China, but there are still not
nearly enough copies for all those who want one.
No one really knows how many Christians
there are in China today, but there are millions more than there
were when the missionaries left. Operation World reports that
“the growth of the church in China since 1977 has no parallels
in history.”
Pray
Pray that the
Christians will continue to stand strong in the midst of persecution;
that those in prison, as well as all family members, will experience
God’s love, grace and comfort.
Pray that the
Christians will resist the false doctrines that are being propagated
by false teachers.
Pray that many
more churches would spring up throughout China.
Pray that the
foreigners who do enter the country for the sake of the gospel
would be true witnesses, and that many souls would be won to
the Lord through them.
Story
for the Children
 My
name is Yu Xiang (yoo shang). I am part of a people group called
the Dai Lu. I live in the part of southern China called Xishuangbanna
(Shish-wang-banna). The name means “the land of twelve thousand
rice fields.” There are more rice paddy fields than you can
count! Our house is made of wood, bamboo, and thatch. It is
built on stilts and has two levels. My father’s pigs and hens
live under our house.
We are Buddhists. Every year in
April, we have a Water Splashing Festival. We believe that it
will wash away the sorrow and demons of the old year and bring
happiness to the new year. I wonder to myself why it doesn’t
seem to work. I still do not have peace in my soul. Will I really
be able to do enough of good things to stop being reborn and
to have what is called nirvana, where the mind and body has
ceased? I need someone to tell me about Jesus, who truly can
wash away my sins. I need to be told about how I can have eternal
life through Him.
Questions
- How many people live in China?
- What happened to make it impossible
for Christians to enter China as missionaries?
- What are some people doing
so that they can still go and tell people there about Jesus?
- How many ethnic groups are
there in China?
- What group of people is Yu
Xiang from?
- What does the name of the area
mean?
- Will splashing water really
wash away sorrow and demons?
- What truth does she need to
learn?
- Can you discover how many languages
of China do not have any translation work or Bible?
(Hint: Add the existing translation work and subtract
from the total number of languages)
- What can you do to help the
people of China?
Answers |
