Abbot Jing Hui of the Bolin Temple talks with the study group.

A study group headed by Zhou Jue, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS), toured around Hebei from September 21 to 27, 2003 to make investigations on religious affairs in the province. It was the very first study tour focusing on religions conducted by CSHRS since it was founded ten years ago. The group comprising experts on human rights and international laws went to a number of sites of religious activities in Shijiazhuang, Handan, Baoding and Qingyuan County, and talked extensively with clergymen and believers of different religions. Short as it was, it was a fruitful tour. The scholars and experts of the group gathered the first-hand materials about how the state policies on freedom of religious belief had been implemented in Hebei. The hard facts the group witnessed refute the distortions, accusations and misunderstanding of China’s policies on freedom of religious belief by some hostile forces and individuals ignorant of realities in the world.

The study tour showed that in Hebei, earnest efforts had been made to fully implement the state policies on freedom of religious belief, handle religious affairs by law and guarantee the normal religious activities, with remarkable effects. Their work is popular among the religious circles and believers.

One. There are 3,530 sites of religious activities lawfully registered throughout Hebei Province. On average each site could accommodate 708 people, against the national average of 1,176 people per site. In breakdowns there are 322 sites for Buddhism, 121 sites for Taoism, 420 sites for Islam, 1,231 sites for Catholicism and 1,436 sites for Protestantism. These sites have basically satisfied the believers’ demand for normal religious life.

The glistening Bolin Temple dating back to 1,000 years and rebuilt recently at Zhaoxian County of Shijiazhuang, the magnificent Catholic cathedral at Donglu Village, Qingyuan County of Baoding, and the Hebei Catholic Theological Seminary still under construction, all bear witnesses of the implementation of policies on religions, with their construction or reconstruction getting financial and policy support from the government. The reconstruction of the Donglu Cathedral got a government funding of 300,000 yuan. When difficulties occurred in construction, the government would lend a helping hand, and the leading officials of the city of Baoding once personally ordered to have cranes transferred to Donglu so as to help hoist the dome of the cathedral. To solve the problem of the construction of the bishop’s office of Catholics in Handan, the city government approved the land and funding.

Two. Several religions have launched their own websites and publications. Dhyana of Buddhism and True Believers of Catholicism in Hebei even have worldwide circulation. The well-printed Bible is in sufficient supply to satisfy the believers’ demand.
　　　　　
President Zhou Jue talks with Father Su Changshan at the Catholic cathedral of Donglu Village, Qingyuan County.

Three. There are five provincial schools for religious education for Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and Christianity. The provincial government has attached great importance to the building of these religious schools, designating the size of staff and appropriating special allocations to support them.

Four. To handle religious affairs by law, the Hebei Provincial Regulations Concerning the Handling of Religious Affairs was formulated and became effective on September 1, 2003. Of the 59 articles in its ten chapters, 19 or one third of the total are on the guarantee of the legitimate rights and interests of the religious circles and believers, which is outstanding among the some 20 regulations now in function in various provinces and municipalities around China. Hebei has also adopted the Regulations Concerning the Handling of Muslim Food, which fully embodies the respect for freedom of religious belief and believers’ dietary habits.

Many clergymen and believers expressed their support for conducting religious activities according to law and combining their love for the religion with the love for the country. Out of their personal experiences, they all claimed that the freedom of religious belief now is “down to earth” and they enjoy the best times for religious life in history.

The religious affairs departments in Hebei combine the handling of religious affairs with services and earnestly solve problems for the religious circles. The local government of Baoding has spent several hundred thousand yuan in recent years for living allowances to clergymen and had most of the church properties returned to the church. During the epidemic of SARSÑsevere acute respiratory syndrome, the religious affairs department of Qingyuan County sent sofas, bookcases and money to the local mosque of Islam for them to buy anti-SARS objects. It is gratifying to see the religious affairs departments have become ever more conscious of serving the people while handling the religious affairs by law.

Hebei Province has taken various measures to get the religious circles and believers play an important role in building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Abbot Jing Hui of the Bolin Temple, who doubles as vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Buddhism, has headed several Buddhist delegations to visit France. While spreading Chinese Buddhism and introducing China to the interested people in France, the visits also drew French believers of Buddhism to invest in China, which is a plus to the local economic growth. Bishop Matthew Pan Deshi of Baoding Parish of the Catholic Church exposed the imperialist interference with China based on his own experiences and cited the Catholic Code for theological support for the principle of self-administration and running religious affairs independently. Zhang Zicheng, head of the Handan Mosque of Islam, often educates the believers to abide by the state laws and decrees, and asks them to remember “we are Chinese Muslims.” The religious affairs departments of Hebei have also helped the believers of different religions to develop economy and seek a well-to-do life.