Beaten to Death for Distributing Bibles

07 July 2004

A 34-year-old woman was beaten to death in jail on June 18 after being arrested for handing out Bibles in the southwest Chinese province of Guizhou. According to news reports, Jiang Zongxiu was official arrested for "spreading rumours and inciting to disturb social order." Later that day, police informed her family that she had died of a sudden illness. Relatives report that her body was covered with bruises and blood stains.

Sharing Christian literature The incident has sparked protests in Jiang's hometown, as local residents demand an investigation. This is the second report of a Christian being beaten to death by Chinese police in the past two months. On April 26, Gu Xianggao was beaten to death by Public Service Bureau (PSB) officers (click here for details).

While Bibles are officially allowed in China, only a limited number are published and are not available for public distribution.

For more information on persecution facing Christians in China, click here. Testimonies and reports on Christianity in China can also be found on VOM's multimedia website at PersecutionTV.

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.