Bee Bee Sng - Christianity and Social Engagement in China

How does Christianity continue to experience growth in an increasingly authoritarian political system that enforces strict regulations on religion? How are ordinary Christians affected by social and political changes in the country, and how do they make their influence felt in wider society?

Taking Chinese Christians experience as a case study, Lim and Sng examine the possibilities and limitations of Christian engagement in society under an authoritarian regime. They look especially at efforts by religious individuals and groups who are seeking to address social issues by engaging in unobtrusive and non-antagonistic activities that interact with controlling state institutions. Their emphasis is on everyday lived religion, analysing how Christians express their faith in their everyday activity and not only in spaces demarcated as falling within the religious domain.

This book is a valuable reference for scholars and students looking to understand religion in relation to politics, culture and everyday life in rapidly modernising East Asian societies and particularly in China.

Francis K.G. Lim is Associate Professor in the Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Bee Bee Sng is an Adjunct Lecturer in Research Methodology and Academic Writing Skills in several universities in Singapore and supervises trainee teachers at the National Institute of Education, Singapore.

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First published 2021

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017

2021 Francis K.G. Lim and Bee Bee Sng

The right of Francis K.G. Lim and Bee Bee Sng to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Names: Lim, Francis K. H., 1949 author. | Sng, Bee Bee, author.

Title: Christianity and social engagement in China / Francis Lim, Bee Bee Sng.

Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2021. | Series: Religion in contemporary Asia | Includes bibliographical references and index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2020031808 (print) | LCCN 2020031809 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367439224 (hbk) | ISBN 9781003006503 (ebk)

Subjects: LCSH: ChinaChurch history. | Church and state ChinaHistory. | Christianity and politicsChinaHistory. | ChristiansPolitical activityChina.

Classification: LCC BR1285 .L4645 2021 (print) | LCC BR1285 (ebook) | DDC 306.6/30951dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020031808

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020031809

ISBN: 978-0-367-43922-4 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-003-00650-3 (ebk)

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This particular Qiang ethnic community lived in the innermost mountainous area in Sichuan. Surrounded by pristine mountains, the area they lived was inaccessible by road to outsiders. The Qiang were proud of their heritage, and claimed that one of their ancestors was an emperor of China. Donned in brightly coloured costumes, the women generally wore dresses in bright crimson embroidered flowers and carried purses of similar brightly embroidered flowers. They lived in houses with flat square roofs which had small piles of white stones at each corner of the square roof. The small piles of stones were religious in meaning and symbolised the horns of goats which they worshipped. In their town stood a tall tower in which was also a significant site of their religious worship. Much of their livelihood was agricultural. They grew crops and reared goats. Surrounded by the tall mountains, much of their cultural tradition seemed shielded from outside influences. It was hard to imagine that anything in the world would disrupt the life that the Qiang lived in this ethnic autonomous region by the Mianyang river. However, in this afternoon, a calamitous event would change their life forever.

The children were soundly asleep in the warm afternoon. Zhang Mo (pseudonym), the head prefect of the school, was doing his usual round of walking down the passageway of the classrooms to ensure that the children were safe. Zhang Mo was in the graduating senior high class. He had contemplated about his future and desired to study medicine in a university in the city. He was anxious that his chances would be slim, knowing the stiff competition for the limited places for medicine for a city university. His entry level to the course would be determined by both his performance in the state examinations and ranking of his school. Being an ethnic minority school, it was extremely hard for the school to compete in ranking with schools in the cities which enjoyed more resources such as better teaching materials, equipment, better trained teachers, and even foreign teachers who taught English language to boost the students English proficiency. English was a big factor that influenced the ranking of the schools, as China was in the midst of improving its standard of English in order to be recognised globally.

As Zhang Mo reached the second level of the school, he felt a tremor. Suddenly, he realised it could be an earthquake since the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture was located on major fault lines.

Zhang Mo quickly woke all the children in the classrooms.