(Feb. 27, 2003, Los Angles)
This is my second visit to Los Angeles as the Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs to exchange views with all the American Christian friends present. I believe what you want to learn best is the real situation of Chinese Christianity at present. I can tell you with pleasure that Chinese Christians are running their church independently and has thus removed the “cap” of “foreignness” . It has become a religion that eulogizes love and traditional culture. As a religious church that is run by Chinese people themselves, it has come to play an active role in uniting its believers to construct their motherland and safeguard social stability. It has become the best testimony of Jesus in China, with its integrity and independence, its advocacy for love and peace and its efforts in building a harmonious society.

The second thing you might want to learn, which is also of great importance to Chinese people is the Sino-U.S. relations. China and America, facing each other across the Pacific Ocean, are just as neighbors in the Global village. America is the largest developed country and China the largest developing country in the world. A normal relationship between the two important villagers as good neighbors makes great importance. Dear friends, at this time and place, what comes into my mind is the biblical teaching that “Thou shalt love thy neighbor”, and the remarks of Emilio Castro, an American Evangelist: “He who fails to develop a normal relationship with his neighbors would not develop a normal relationship with the God.” How true it is! The normal relationship, that is the harmonious relationship among individuals, among different religions and among nations of different cultures is not only what Christians pray for but also what the people of the world aim at. We are pleased to notice that China and America are building an increasingly normal relationship. However, as dark clouds often appear to shield the sunshine, abuses such as China bans religious freedom and persecutes religious believers often sound in the ears. For this, my friends, I feel obliged to inform you of the truth of the religious beliefs as well as policies concerning religious beliefs in China in order that you will become independent from all those groundless abuses and attacks and free from bias against your neighbor. Ignorance is far from the truth, bias is even farther from it. Bias is more a psychological barrier of the mutual understanding of neighbors than the geographical barriers of mountains and rivers.

In the first place, I’d like to clarify the doubt about the freedom of religious beliefs in China. “Is the freedom of religious beliefs really respected in China?”

Five years ago, I was invited to visit a church in Los Angeles. I was warmly welcomed. People came up to shake my hands, repeatedly saying “Welcome here! How lucky you are to have escaped from red (Communist) China!”

Hearing those words, I felt puzzled and shocked. How come it was so!
　　　　　
Mr. Ye Xiaowen (left), Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

As a result of the constant groundless reports by some American media, many people in the United States reached a wrong conclusion that there was religious persecution in China and the Communists showed no respect for the freedom of religious beliefs.

As Director-general of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, I told them that our respect for the freedom of religious belief is sincere and consistent.

Our respect for the freedom of religious beliefs is an objective one for the reality, for the objective process and the intrinsic laws governing the development of the society.

Our respect for the freedom of religious beliefs is a reflection of our respect for the basic human rights. The reason is simple: with a respect for the freedom of religious beliefs, the Chinese people can become united to carry out the great undertaking of rejuvenating the nation for a better future.

Our respect for the freedom of religious beliefs is deep rooted in the long-standing traditional Chinese culture. There has been few, if any, massive conflicts and clashes between various and different religious believers and between believers and non-believers in Chinese history.

Our respect for the freedom of religious beliefs is as a matter of fact under the protection of the Constitution and laws.

Theoretically and practically, respect for the freedom of religious beliefs in China is longstanding and profound, sincere and faithful because it is well-grounded upon Chinese people’s outlook and fundamental interests. The respect grows out of both historical and realistic reasons. It is a respect by choice and is protected by laws. As one of the largest countries in the world, problems are unavoidable. That is why the State Administration for Religious Affairs that I head is necessary. It is our job to administer the religious affairs in accordance with the law, that is, to make sure that religion-related laws, decrees and regulations are well carried out and the legitimate rights of the religious believers well protected.

As is known to all, facts speak louder than words. All right, now I’ll let the facts speak for themselves.

Illustrations of protection of religious sites.

Illustrations of opening three churches within two days.
　　　　　
Mr. Ye Xiaowen made a speech in Los Angles on Feb. 27, 2003.

A catholic cathedral stands on Wangfujing Street, the business center of Beijing. It was first built in 1655, and burnt down twice in the past. The Beijing Municipal Government, braving tremendous pressure from developers, insisted on refurbishing the Church and expanding the plaza in front of it.

The Amity printing Company in Nanjing attached to the Chinese Protestant church has printed to date 30 million copies of the Holy Bible.

Christians of the ethnic minorities in the remote areas of China.

Church Service at a Catholic Church in China, shot by CNN.

Since China and the United States stand thousands of miles apart, we need to observe and understand each other by means of a telescope. The Chinese people catch a clear and beautiful picture of the United States, and name it Mei Guo, which literally means “a beautiful country” in Chinese, while American people seem to have seen China as small and ugly and thus name it “china” in a belief that it is as fragile.

The reason is, some Americans are looking at China through the wrong side of the telescope. So here and now, I’d kindly remind these friends to reverse their telescope to see China as it is.
In the second place, I’ll explain “Why must Chinese religions take the initiatives and run religious affairs independently ?”

My Christian friends present, I know that you treasure your belief in the Bible and the preach of the gospel as your life. Please allow me to quote a line from I Corinthians “woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (9:16). In Chinese, the gospel is translated as “fuyin”, literally meaning “words of good fortune”. “Fortune” and “Misfortune” are two words most Chinese people are very familiar with and sensitive to. You may have heard a famous saying of Laozi, an ancient Chinese philosopher “Fortune may lead to misfortune and vice versa”. That is to say, “Fortune” and “Misfortune” are interdependent and convertible and has to be made good use of. “Woe is unto one if he preaches not the gospel” but would woe be unto one if he preached the Gospel without considering the time, place and circumstances? An act of spreading fortune, if done in a wrong way, may become an act of spreading the seed of misfortune.

The history of the introduction and development of Christianity in China has well demonstrated that “woe is unto you if you preach the Gospel in a wrong way.”

Protestantism and Catholicism made large-scale inroads into China at a time when China declined to a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society as a direct result of the invasion of Colonialism and Imperialism into China. In the words of Mr. Jiang Menglin, a former President of Beijing University, “Lord Buddha came to China riding on the back of a white elephant whereas Jesus Christ flew in on cannon shells.” A religion that was supposed to spread the words of the Gospel had unfortunately become the tool of the aggressors. Under the protection of extraterritoriality, this religion, that had taught one to love others as oneself, turned to its opposite. Some missionaries went so far as to participate in opium trade, loot land property and perpetrate serious misconduct. As Dr. Ronald J. Sider, a former member of the World Evangelical Union said: “A fact the Christians must face is: in the past 2,000 years, preaching has never been parted with colonialization. No matter how we interpret the correlation between the two, an obvious fact is the expansion of the Western political power always marched with the expansion of the Churches synchronically to the same place.” Given this, in the eyes of many Chinese, Christianity as an accomplice of the aggressors was more a curse than a gospel. In the words of Professor Pan Guangdan, a famous Chinese sociologist, this is not to suggest that Christianity is in itself a curse. This is merely to say that a seed, a good seed at that, can still bear ominous fruits if it fails to suit the soil it is sown in. Although the ominous trees were not planted by the Chinese Christians, they had to bear the responsibility of the evil fruits. Chinese Christians and Churches longed for a reform and rebirth. It was in such a context that they initiated the localization and independence movement and proposed the principle of “Three-Self”(self-administration, self-support and self-evangelization), which later developed into a massive Three-Self movement after the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. Chinese believers hailed it as a “rebirth of Chinese Christianity”.

In the past decades, Chinese Christianity insisted on running religious affairs independently, which has won the recognition of its believers and the support of the people all over China. The Church and its religious activities are developing healthily. The development of Chinese Christianity in the past 20 years since China’s reform and opening up has well demonstrated that it is working hard to establish itself as a patriotic, loving religion that serves the society. Bishop Ding Guangxuan, a famous bishop and religious leader in China has pointed out that God is love. Chinese Christianity should be developed into one that emphasized morals and service for the society. He advocates that “Let’s manifest the hidden moral and ethical knowledge so that people would stop to listen to the words imparted by religion”. Here I’d recommend with sincerity a book written by this reverend bishop, “Love Has No End”, which is popular with both believers and non-believers because of the generosity, insightfulness and benedictions imparted through it in a religious way.

We understand Evangelists’ mission to “preach the Gospel”. However, as taught by history, to spread the Gospel you must show respect for the historical traditions, conditions and demands of the target people and their country. A story in China tells about a man’s futile attempt to plant in the north of the Yangtze River tangerine, a fruit indigenous to the South of the river. The moral of the story is a seed may turn out a good fruit in an agreeable soil but an ominous fruit in a disagreeable soil. Therefore, I hope you will understand and respect the conditions of Chinese Christianity and the historical choice Chinese Christians have made in running the church and religious affairs independently. I believe nobody would like to see Chinese Christianity walk back to the dark age of being a “foreign” religion. Through long-term struggles they freed themselves from the heavy burdens of history and won themselves a new glorious mission. So please shower them with good wishes and prayers.

China respects the freedom of religious beliefs of aliens within Chinese territory. A special decree was promulgated by the State Council in 1994 to protect the freedom of religious beliefs of the aliens in China. Chinese religions are more than happy to communicate and cooperate extensively with foreign religious organizations on the basis of equality and friendship. They should learn from each other and share their experiences and views. I believe God would also beam a smile to see them help each other in such a friendly way.
　　　　　
A new church built up-East Shanghai Church.

Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution stipulates that religious organizations and religious affairs are not subject to foreign domination. Chinese religions, including Christianity run their affairs independently. Chinese religious organizations have both the ability and the conditions to preach by themselves, therefore it’s unnecessary to invite foreign religious organizations to do it for them. American Christian Council has once declared that it’s unnecessary to restore their missionary in China. All religions including the Protestantism as people of a country subject to the rule of law, American Christians have the habit to abide by laws, so I believe, you’ll also show due respect for the Chinese laws when you go to China some day.

Some people have demonized China out of ignorance or ill intention. They keep inciting people to traffic bible to China by spreading the rumor that the publication of the Bible is banned in China. The word “traffic” is often related with evil things like “opium” and “drugs”. Don’t you think it a blasphemy to traffic such a Holy classic? Christians who have learned the truth all feel offended and enraged. Ever since the United Bible Society learned the truth, it has been cooperating with the two national Christian organizations of China. With the support of Chinese government, Amity Publishing Company was established to publish the Bible, which enjoys tax exemption. By now more than 30 million copies of the Bible have been published for the 15 million Christians in China. China is open to any religious organization if it observes the laws of China and would like to cooperate with Chinese Churches on the basis of sincerity and equality.

Christianity is a religion that eulogizes peace. A representative of Evangelists John Scott has once said, “God has created peace with us and among us through Jesus Christ. We can claim to be his children only by creating peace.”

“Peace and harmony” is an ideal that Chinese people value, which has a far-reaching influence on all aspects of Chinese people’s daily life, work, social activities, internal affairs and diplomatic policies. The word “harmony” can be seen everywhere in China, from the ancient Imperial buildings to the present common people’s houses. Commoners also saw harmony as an ideal state for their families, businesses and friendship, and they wish each other that way. In handling international relations, we advocate “to keep peace and harmony among all the nations”. Nations should treat each other like friends and communicate with each other on good terms. Such actions as bullying and suppressing the small, the weak or the poor should be prohibited and disputes should be settled through negotiations and by peaceful means. Nations should develop friendly and cooperative relations on the basis of equality and mutual respect. In handling relationship with different civilizations, we maintain a way of being “understanding and tolerant”. Each civilization is a composing part of the civilization of the whole human race. Different civilizations should not repel each other but coexist peacefully on the basis of mutual respect. They should learn from each other and improve themselves while preserving their own characteristics. “Harmony and tolerance” is also what traditional Chinese religions value. For instance, Chinese Taoism stresses “harmony with nature” and Chinese Buddhism emphasizes “Harmony in six aspects”: harmony in understanding reaches agreement, harmony in habits brings mutual improvement, harmony in physical conditions brings co-habitation, harmony in words avoids brawl, harmony in interests brings peace and harmony in benefits brings co-existence. Even the name of the monks in Chinese “He Shang” preaches the idea of harmony. In light of this, one sees few, if any, massive conflicts throughout China’s history between religious believers and non-believers, or between believers of different religions.

Chinese value of peace and harmony is also eulogized by many Western thinkers and philosophers. In 1930’s, Bertrand Russell, a famous British Philosopher observed in his The Problem of China that Harmony goes first among all the remarkable qualities of Chinese ethics, which are of utmost importance to the modern world. Similar ideas have been expressed by Lebniz, Voltaire and so on.

We are ready to join the international community in safeguarding the religion-related human rights. Bearing in mind the basic principles on religious freedom in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and our own experience in maintaining freedom of religious belief, we wish to submit a five-point proposition as follows:
　　　　　
Christmas celebrated at the Wangfujing Church, Beijing.

l In response to the distortion of and trampling on religious freedom, we call for more effective legislative, judicial and administrative measures for the realization and guarantee of freedom of religious belief.

l In response to the rising threat of religious extremism, carried out in the name of religion, we call for concerted international efforts to combat it in defense of world peace.

l In response to the bullying of and intervention in other countries by hegemonism and power politics, using religious issues as pretexts, we call for dialogue in lieu of confrontation and full respect for the sovereignty of all countries and their practice of protecting religious freedom.

l In response to the local conflicts and crises caused by ethnic and religious factors in the post-Cold War era, we call for mutual respect and tolerance on the part of all religions and religious sects.

l In response to the interaction and convergence of the world’s diverse civilizations, we call for enhanced understanding and exchange on the basis of seeking common ground while setting aside differences so as to promote common development of the human civilizations.

Countries in the world differ in historical tradition, cultural background, and social system and certainly in value system. Their religious situations are as different as they can be. This is the result of many factors, past and present, at work, and no one can judge which is better or worse than the other, which is right or wrong. Our world, after all, is a diverse and colorful place. Understanding of religious freedom may vary from one social system to another. This is why we need to be culturally conscious, striving for harmoniousness but not oneness. To be culturally conscious means that we should realize the limitations of our own culture and be prepared to accommodate other cultures; Every nation treasures its own merits and respects those of others. When merits are shared, there will be great harmony in the world; All that is true, good and beautiful are on the same wavelength; be they religious or secular in form and be they measured with the values of the East or of the West. A narrow-minded soul would view any difference as opposition and diversity as adversary. But to a broad-minded one, difference means richness in color and posture and diversity embodies harmony.

My dear friends, Martin Luther King has once said “I have a dream”. Both U.S. and China are countries full of glories and dreams and both peoples anticipate a wonderful future.

The fond dream Chinese people have is rejuvenation of their nation, the unification of the humankind and world peace.

Of the four ancient civilizations of the world (Babylonian, Egyptian, Indian and Chinese), Chinese civilization is the only one that has lived through the long history of humankind and remained as young as it has always been. A fond dream of Chinese Christians is to integrate Christianity with the traditional Chinese culture and do their part in the rejuvenation of the nation, the unification of humankind and promotion of world peace.

This is the fond dream of Chinese Christians that bear a heavy Cross and a mission of history.

This is the fond dream of Chinese Christians who have rid themselves of suffering and have been working together with the rest of the nation to create a wonderful future.

My American Christian friends, please pray for your sisters and brothers across the Pacific ocean and wish their dreams realized as soon as possible.

Thank you. Now, I would like to answer your questions.

Author: Ye Xiaowen, Director of the State
Administration for Religious Affairs.