UPDATED: China Aid receives compilation of persecuted Zhejiang churches
ICC Note:
A massive anti-Church/Cross campaign has been carried out since January in Zhejiang province, China. ChinaAid compile a list of 85 churches in Zhejiang that have received demolition notice, had church buildings or crosses completely or partially demolished.
06/16/2014 China (ChinaAid)– China Aid recently received a compilation of all known church demolitions, cross removals or modifications and notices received concerning the prior actions in China’s coastal Zhejiang from a source. The list, below, gives the name and, in most cases, the date that 64 churches were persecuted.
The actions against churches in Zhejiang are all connected to the province’s “Three Rectifications and One Demolition” campaign, which claims to target all illegal structures. However, based on government documents, which can be read below, some speculate that the campaign is really just a crackdown on religon (see http://www.chinaaid.org/2014/05/zhejiang-government-document-reveals.html).
Government documents regarding demolitions, rectifications
The “Notice from Zhejiang People’s Government regarding the three-year campaign of ‘Three Rectifications and One Demolition’ to be unfolded throughout the province” promulgated by Zhejiang People’s Government on Feb. 21, 2013, demands that “[They should] persist in making breakthroughs at key points, push forward in an orderly way and demolish illegal structures that violate laws and regulations, occupy farmland, affect public safety and major construction, seriously affect urban and rural planning, those that are located on both sides of main lines of transportation.”
(source: http://www.zj.gov.cn/art/2013/3/13/art_13012_77021.html, see http://www.chinaaid.org/2014/04/exclusive-china-aid-receives-internal.html)
On April 1, 2014, Lin Xiaofeng, mayor of Yueqing County, Wenzhou, required that “every township government and department shall take effective measures and make full efforts against all odds to forcefully launch an aggressive and relentless campaign of ‘Three Rectifications and One Demolition.’” On April 3, Yueqing Daily published an article titled “Launch a Relentless Campaign of ‘Three Rectifications and One Demolition’”, which required “focusing on difficult cases and pushing forward in a legal, orderly and forceful way the demolition of illegal religious structures.”
(source: http://www.yqcn.com/system/2014/04/03/011625626.shtml)
The Ru’ian city government, of Zhejiang Province, issued “Notice of Statistics Regarding Doing a Good Job in ‘Three Rectifications and One Demolition’ that Involves Investigation and Screening of Illegal Structures for Religious Purposes and Folk Faiths.”
To promote the campaign “Three Rectifications and One Demolition,” the Zhejiang Provincial Committee for Ethnic and Religious Affairs devised a detailed list of “Seven types of structures that must be demolished.” According to the “Notice regarding ‘Implementation Plans for Rectification of Illegal Structures at Sites for Religious and Folk Faiths Activities in Shamen Town,’” the “seven types” include:
1) Christian gathering sites that are privately established without approval and are unregistered and other illegal sites for religious activities; 2) illegal structures that are not approved built at legally registered sites for activities and the portion of structures that exceeds the approved area should be demolished; 3) small temples and small nunneries that violate the law and regulations and that occupy farmland must be demolished; 4) small temples and small nunneries that affect public safety and major construction projects must be demolished; 5) small temples and small nunneries that seriously affect the village planning or construction of beautiful villages must be demolished; 6) small temples and small nunneries on both sides of main lines of transportation must be demolished; 7) small temples and small nunneries that accumulate wealth in the name of religion and other sites for illegal activities must be demolished.
(source: http://www.yuhuan.gov.cn/yggc/shamen/zcwj/201312/t20131218_70014.html, see http://www.chinaaid.org/2014/04/government-notice-lists-privately.html)
“Report on the Demolition and Relocation of Structures for Religious Purposes and Folk Faiths in Yueqing County,” Nov. 26, 2013
(source: http://www.lcrenda.gov.cn/view.jsp?id0=z0g9bzcgk6&id1=z0g9bzgksk&id=z0hoi8epth)
“Cangnan County Committee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs’ Meeting about Religion and Folk Faiths,” April 16, 2014
(source: http://www.zjsmzw.gov.cn/Public/NewsInfo.aspx?type=4&id=5a85b3ac-cd92-4431-a055-70e4c61219c1)
The Zhejiang government documents listed above and the ways in which demolition and rectification have been implemented this year demonstrate that Zhejiang province is seriously implementing the demolition and rectification of religious buildings as its most important task. The true intention behind the demolishing church buildings and rectifying crosses is to curb the development of Christianity and demolishing “illegal” structures is only an excuse. The crosses of church buildings are not in violation of the law. Please refer to the list of removed crosses based on preliminary investigation.
The list of demolished churches and crosses in Wenzhou, Zhejiang:
(Photos in the list correlate with the description directly above them.)
1. On Jan. 1, the Christian Church of Gou village, Liangzhu town, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, was required by Liangzhu town government to remove the cross of Gou Village Church.
2. On Feb, 27, the cross of Huanghu Christian Church, Huanghu town, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, was forcibly removed (see http://www.chinaaid.org/2014/03/update-zhejiang-churches-face.html).
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73. The cross of Dongyang Church in Wuniu, Yongjia County, was forcibly demolished from 3-9 a.m. on May 30.
Note: Dongyang Church steadfastly refused to demolish the cross topping the building for about 20 days prior to its demolition. On May 27, the government issues a penalty notice to the Church for its refusal. The Church submitted an application for a hearing on May 29. That night, Jiang Zhiqiang and Jiang Shengfu, the church’s directors, were asked to have a “talk” with police. Police also visited Zheng Xianghui’s home and attempted to detain him; however, Zheng wasn’t home. At 3 a.m. that morning, on May 30, authorities dispatched several hundred SWAT officers to block roads leading to the church building and to secretly demolish the cross (see http://www.chinaaid.org/2014/06/zhejiang-authorities-remove-cross-5.html).
74. The cross at Liangnong Church in Yuyao, Ningbo, was demolished on May 31.
75. Luzhang Church in Shangtang, Yongjia County was demolished.
76-84. On June 5, the crosses on the following Wenzhou-area Christian churches were demolished: Kayangtou Church, Baishui Church, Qianpai Church, Huaao Church, Luofu Church, Dajia Church, Puxi Church and Malangqiao Church in Yongjia County; and Guantou Church in the Wuniu area of Yueqing County.
85. Juxihoushe Church’s cross, in the Ouhai District of Wenzhou, was forcibly demolished.
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