Chinese Christians to celebrate Christmas
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Although Christmas was not a significant festival for ordinary middle-aged Chinese, Cui Shaoqi became filled with hustle and bustle as the day draws near.
Together with others, he just built a manger outside the church and was spreading straw to showcase the scene of Jesus' birth.
Cui, in his fifties, was a Christian and staff member with the Beijing South Cathedral, the oldest Catholic Church in the capital city. Like other churches, the cathedral was decorated with Christmas trees and festive lanterns to celebrate Christmas.
"We would like to introduce where Christmas comes from by using the settings, " Cui said. As Christmas falls on the weekend this year, Cui believed that many visitors would come to the church.
Considered the day when Jesus Christ was born, Christmas is one of the most important festivals for Christians.
The priest conducts Mass every Christmas Eve in the church with hundreds of visitors. Some of them, especially the young people, started to learn Christian doctrine and eventually asked to be baptized, he said.
Also in Beijing, some Christians plan to attract visitors with other performances, such as folk dances.
"After the performances we will preach, so as to let them better understand the religion," said Li Hua, the pastor of the Beijing Chongwenmen Church, the first American Methodist church and the largest existing Protestant church in Beijing.
Meanwhile, officials of the Beijing Chongwenmen Church asked Christians to give their seats to non-believers to learn about Jesus and Christianity during Christmas.
"With this opportunity, we hope to persuade more people to convert to Christianity," Li Hua said.
According to a report from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the first documented case of Christianity entering China was in the 7th century. China now has about 23 million Christians, roughly 1.8 percent of its population.
According to the report, the religion is spreading quickly in China. Among all Christians in the country, about 3 percent converted to the religion before 1965, another 5.7 converted between 1966 and 1981, while 73.4 percent became Christian after 1993.
To many people, the religion is a wayside for them to find peace in their lives.
"I thought God was a kind of Jade Emperor in Chinese myths, and they were both superstitions in my childhood. But when I happened to know Christianity, I found it is no superstition at all." said Yu Longsheng, a graduate student at Xiamen University.
"It brings me out of my loneliness, pressure and nervousness. Now, I am a college student and I believe in God." Yu said.
Zhang Qiuju from central China's Henan province converted to the religion 16 years ago because of a disease which no doctor could give diagnosis. "I pray for health," she said. This pious woman sought out a church in Beijing to pray during her one-week business trip. "I know God is protecting me. He loves us."
Zhang Shuping's five-square-meter house was leveled in 2008, and she and her son have not received compensation yet. In desperation, they went to church. "God taught me to be tolerant," said her son, Zhang Jiaxin. "Thank him for giving us hope."
"Although China is on a fast track for economic development, many social problems pop out, like the increasing income gap and social injustice," said Liu Peng, a research fellow with CASS.
"Loss of faith has become a serious 'illness' for Chinese in the 21st century."
However, Christianity meets the spiritual needs for some Chinese people, Li Hua said.
"To some extent, people's fate still rest on different social strata to which they were born," he said. "But the religion advocate equality."
China states in its constitution that freedom of religious belief is a fundamental right of Chinese citizens and provides support for religious believers.
China exempts the only authorized Bible-printing company in the country from various taxes and has a Bible sale network with more than 70 distribution centers, helping guarantee every Christian has a Bible.
Although building a church is nothing new, Qufu, birthplace of Confucius, China's saint and great philosopher, also plans to open its first large Christian church in two years.
Besides Christians, China has over 100 million believers of various religions, such as Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and Christianity, according to the website of the State Administration for Religious Affairs.
"We will continuously value the positive role of religious figures and the faithful in promoting social harmony," said Hui Liangyu, China's Vice Premier, during a November meeting with Arthur Schneier, president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation of the United States.
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