ICC NOTE: China’s pursuit of hiding Christianity while also attempting to bring it under the fold of Communism has claimed four more crosses from atop various churches. The City of Wenzhou has been the primary target of the regime as Zhejiang province is considered the “Jerusalem” of the east for the amount of churches present. Occasionally congregations attempt to stop the demolition teams but officials are waiting to come in like a thief in the night, literally. According to China Aid an estimated 2,000 crosses have been destroyed in Zhejiang as a result of the campaign. 

3/17/2016 Zhejiang, China (China Aid) – As a result of an ongoing “beautification” campaign across China’s coastal Zhejiang province, four more church crosses were demolished by authorities on Thursday and Friday of last week.

Dajing Christian Church and Bailuyu Christian Church both lost their crosses on Thursday evening, and two other crosses, those of Dongyu Church and Baiqiangdi Church, were demolished the next day. Church members of a fifth church, Nange Church, reported receiving a demolition notice for their cross as well.

According to the members of these churches, the many of the demolitions occurred very late at night or early in the morning, when it was least likely that the churches would have people present to resist. One anonymous member said that their church fended off a demolition attempt earlier in the evening at 9 p.m., only to have authorities return at midnight and complete the job.

Since the beginning of March, approximately 10 crosses have been torn down across Wenzhou. Other churches which have managed to protect their crosses from demolition teams have had water and electricity turned off by the city. It is estimated that around 2,000 church crosses have been demolished in Zhejiang as a result of the campaign, titled “Three Rectifications and One Demolition,” which began in April 2014.

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