Chapter 4 examines the history of Christianity in the Fuzhou region post 1949. We soon learned that it led to much conflict between the religious sects and the government as decisions were forced due to the Cultural Revolution. The combination of Church and state led to the struggle and eventual demise of the religious leaders who didn’t form. However, during the Cultural Revolution, the people who did adapt and supported the Nationalist Party were later targeted as counterrevolutionaries, ending their religious influence and right.
There was also the Eastern versus Western conflict, mainly regarding the Catholicism practiced. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association struggled to balalnce state policies with religious doctrines and received much criticism. Any Western involvement led to punishment by the government and many years in prison. The Vatican attempted to enforce its authority unto the Fuzhou region with threats of excommunication, but the CCPA overcame them in the end.
The Christian suppression in the Fuzhou region is a defining factor in the significant growth of religious involvement in Chinatown. Because America believes in the freedom of religion, the immigrants could freely and openly carry out their beliefs. Unfortunately, those still in China are not able to do so because of the nation’s communist nature. Right now, there might not be a God in China, but there is definitely a God in Chinatown.
