Update: Zhang family remains under fire

29 October 2008

^{Zhang Jian
after the beatings
Photo from}^{China Aid}

Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan and his family continue to face pressure from Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials in China. According to an October 28 report from China Aid Association, Zhang Jian, who was brutally beaten on October 16 (click here), was recently threatened by PSB officials with imprisonment unless he agreed to sign a document stating that his injuries were minor. Fearing separation from his wife and one-year-old son, Jian consented. Pastor Zhang, who hadn't been heard from since the attack, contacted Jian by telephone on October 22. He confirmed that he is being detained but was unable to give the details of his detention. Pastor Zhang's wife, Xie Fenglan, and sister have been placed under "soft detention" in a PSB-operated Beijing hotel. Their cell phones have been confiscated and their travels restricted.

For more information on the opposition facing Christians in China, visit the China Country Report.

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.