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November 28, 2007

Chinese Christians to celebrate ‘miracle’ of 50 million Bibles

by Francis Wong
Ecumenical News International

HONG KONG — Celebrations are planned in China to mark the production of more than 50 million Bibles in the People’s Republic by the Amity Printing Company, a joint venture between the United Bible Societies and the Amity Foundation, which is a Chinese Christian agency.

“After the cultural revolution of 1966 to 1976, many Chinese Christians are doing their best to take the chance to read the Bible,” Qiu Zhonghui, general secretary of the Amity Foundation, told Ecumenical News International on Nov. 27.

The celebrations planned in the city of Nanjing for Dec. 8 will mark the production on Sept. 11, 2007 of the 50 millionth Bible by the Amity Printing Company, the only body allowed to print Bibles in mainland China.

Zhang Liwei, the Amity Foundation’s associate general secretary, told ENI the events would “celebrate the miracle that God makes it possible in China to print these millions of copies of the Bible for Chinese Christians.”

Beijing loosened restrictions on Christians in the 1970s following the end of the cultural revolution, after the death of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China.

Nevertheless, the Chinese government still tightly controls Christianity in the country.

At the Dec. 8 celebrations, the Amity Foundation will renew its agreement with the United Bible Societies, which groups Bible societies around the world.

“We have been cooperating with the United Bible Societies during the last twenty years in printing Bibles in China,” said Qiu, who is also chairperson of the Amity Printing Company.

The company began work in June 1988 and by September 1989 had produced one million Bibles. By the end of October 2007, it had printed more than 59 million Bibles.

Qiu said that the printing company was ready to produce more copies of the Scriptures in time for the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing next year.