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Chinese Bible printing puts pay to foreign myths
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posted Sunday, 9 December 2007
ACB was angered (though not at all surprised) a while back when a great many otherwise sane foreigners (and a good few loons, too) read a fake news story that China was banning participants in the 2008 games from bringing Bibles into the country and believed it because they thought that "it was the kind of thing that China would do", even though it's very much not the kind of thing that today's Beijing would do..
Normally, ACB would advice people to take anything that originated from Xinhua with a very large dose of salt, however, certain foreigners out there might be well advised to read this. It might not be the whole truth (there are a few bits that the author left out), but the general message rings true, things are not as bad or as restrictive in China as the conservative media would have you believe. The way that they spin it, you'd think that modern China were 17th century Japan.
From the pen of Du Guodong, Xinhua
Seriously though, the west's reaction to the fake Bible ban story clearly demonstrates that many foreigners are not as mature and well informed as they believed themselves to be, and that the West - especially America - still holds far too many crazy notions about Asia which should have died out long ago.
It's a small mercy that there aren't daily protests outside the Chinese embassy by people who believe that foot binding still goes on or that Chinese eat babies, or marches by whites who believe that Chinese women are seducing white men as part of some sinister plot to replace the Caucasian gene pool with an Asian one.
In case you're wondering about the bits of Xinhua's story that aren't true (as referenced above), the bits that it selectively forgot to mentions, well..... let's just say that official statistics often fail to allow for the millions of Chinese Christians whom whom worship outside of the officially sanctioned churches. Beijing likes to pretend that they are such a small minority that they don't exist when in fact they are a substantial and significant group.
Normally, ACB would advice people to take anything that originated from Xinhua with a very large dose of salt, however, certain foreigners out there might be well advised to read this. It might not be the whole truth (there are a few bits that the author left out), but the general message rings true, things are not as bad or as restrictive in China as the conservative media would have you believe. The way that they spin it, you'd think that modern China were 17th century Japan.
From the pen of Du Guodong, Xinhua
China-based Christian group prints 50 mln Bibles
A China-based Christian group announced that it had printed 50 million Bibles, mainly for Chinese believers.
Ye Xiaowen, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said at a ceremony on Saturday that the Chinese government respects and protects religious freedom and supports, as always, printing and publishing Bibles in China.
The Amity Printing Company, which is affiliated to the Amity Foundation, printed the 50 millionth Bible in mid September, in addition to 9 million New Testaments.
About 43 million copies of the complete Bible were produced for believers on the Chinese mainland, with copies in Braille and eight minority languages. The remaining 7 million were exported to over 60 countries and regions around the world.
In recent years, about 3 million copies of Bible rolled off the press every year, the company said.
The Amity Foundation, the only one authorized in China for printing Bibles, said it has 74 sales offices throughout the country, which channel Bibles to nationwide Christians.
Bishop Kuang-hsun Ting, chair of the board of the Amity Foundation, said that the printing company would not only produce Bibles for his fellow Christians, but also donate its earnings for charity.
Official statistics on Christianity in China reveals there are 16 million believers, a number which is continuously expanding. The country also has 18 theological schools, with about 1,800 students.
During the Beijing Olympics 2008, Ye said, local religious groups will provide help and service to overseas tourists, including Bible copies.
Last month Beijing Olympics organizers were forced to angrily deny that Bibles and other religious items for personal use would not be welcome at next year's Olympics.
A notice on the official Beijing Olympics Web site explaining entry procedures into the country said "each traveller is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China."
Religious services -- Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist -- will be available to athletes in the Olympic Village next summer, Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympics media center said.
A China-based Christian group announced that it had printed 50 million Bibles, mainly for Chinese believers.
Ye Xiaowen, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said at a ceremony on Saturday that the Chinese government respects and protects religious freedom and supports, as always, printing and publishing Bibles in China.
The Amity Printing Company, which is affiliated to the Amity Foundation, printed the 50 millionth Bible in mid September, in addition to 9 million New Testaments.
About 43 million copies of the complete Bible were produced for believers on the Chinese mainland, with copies in Braille and eight minority languages. The remaining 7 million were exported to over 60 countries and regions around the world.
In recent years, about 3 million copies of Bible rolled off the press every year, the company said.
The Amity Foundation, the only one authorized in China for printing Bibles, said it has 74 sales offices throughout the country, which channel Bibles to nationwide Christians.
Bishop Kuang-hsun Ting, chair of the board of the Amity Foundation, said that the printing company would not only produce Bibles for his fellow Christians, but also donate its earnings for charity.
Official statistics on Christianity in China reveals there are 16 million believers, a number which is continuously expanding. The country also has 18 theological schools, with about 1,800 students.
During the Beijing Olympics 2008, Ye said, local religious groups will provide help and service to overseas tourists, including Bible copies.
Last month Beijing Olympics organizers were forced to angrily deny that Bibles and other religious items for personal use would not be welcome at next year's Olympics.
A notice on the official Beijing Olympics Web site explaining entry procedures into the country said "each traveller is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China."
Religious services -- Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist -- will be available to athletes in the Olympic Village next summer, Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympics media center said.
Seriously though, the west's reaction to the fake Bible ban story clearly demonstrates that many foreigners are not as mature and well informed as they believed themselves to be, and that the West - especially America - still holds far too many crazy notions about Asia which should have died out long ago.
It's a small mercy that there aren't daily protests outside the Chinese embassy by people who believe that foot binding still goes on or that Chinese eat babies, or marches by whites who believe that Chinese women are seducing white men as part of some sinister plot to replace the Caucasian gene pool with an Asian one.
In case you're wondering about the bits of Xinhua's story that aren't true (as referenced above), the bits that it selectively forgot to mentions, well..... let's just say that official statistics often fail to allow for the millions of Chinese Christians whom whom worship outside of the officially sanctioned churches. Beijing likes to pretend that they are such a small minority that they don't exist when in fact they are a substantial and significant group.
View Comments/Add a Comment (5)
1. miel left...
Monday, 10 December 2007 5:21 pm :: http://www.haumau.org
Its also because information is so limited to what will be published.
xinhua is always like that.
2. Mothanskin the Liberty Man left...
Wednesday, 12 December 2007 6:08 am :: http://mothanskin.blog-city.com
Thanks for the information about China's religious tolerance. I know Mao
wouldn't have allowed Bible printing and what many Americans have to
understand is that Mao is not today's China. Stay angry , correct our
misunderstandings about China and keep us informed!
3. jay left...
Saturday, 29 December 2007 12:59 am
China only makes a show of tolerating religious freedom. Anyone who lives
here in China and tries to have a church life knows how the Chinese control
churchs and other religious institutions. In Shanghai there is only one
approved int'l Protestant church and the church is not allowed to let local
Chinese attend the English services. The sermons are controlled and must
not mention contemporary issues. A gov't monitor is always in the
audience. Unofficial churches are harrassed, forced to close down.
4. The Angry Chinese Blogger left...
Saturday, 29 December 2007 3:22 am
That's an over simplification if ever I heard one. Especially about the
situation in Shanghai.
5. slim left...
Saturday, 29 December 2007 6:15 am
This is also only partially and occasionally true: Ye Xiaowen, head of the
State Administration for Religious Affairs, said at a ceremony on Saturday
that the Chinese government respects and protects religious freedom....