Christianity has been present in China since the early medieval period, and became a significant presence in the country during the early modern era. The Assyrian Church of the East appeared in China in the 7th century, during the Tang dynasty. Catholicism was one of the religions patronized by the emperors of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, but it did not take root in China until its reintroduction by the Jesuits during the 16th century.[1] Beginning in the early 19th century, Protestant missions in China attracted small but influential followings, and independent Chinese churches were also established.
Accurate data on Chinese Christians is difficult to access. There are estimates that say Christianity is the fastest growing religion in China.[2] There were some 4 million before 1949 (3 million Catholics and 1 million Protestants).[3] In the early 2000s, there were approximately 38 million Protestants and 10-12 million Catholics, with a smaller number of Orthodox Christians.[2] The number of Chinese Christians had increased significantly since the easing of restrictions on religious activities during the economic reforms of the late 1970s. In 2018, the Chinese government declared that there are over 44 million Christians in China.[4] On the other hand, some international Christian organizations estimate that there are tens of millions more, who choose not to publicly identify as such.[5] These estimations are controversial because the organizations which make them are often accused of deliberately inflating them.[5][6][7]
For most of Chinese imperial history, religious practice was tightly controlled by the state. The People's Republic of China also heavily regulates religion. Chinese people over the age of 18 are only allowed to join Christian groups that are registered with one of three state-controlled bodies, either the Catholic Patriotic Church, the China Christian Council, or the Protestant Three-Self Church.[8] However, many Chinese Christians are members of informal networks and underground churches, often known as house churches. These began to proliferate during the 1950s when many Christians rejected the state-controlled bodies.[9] Members of house churches represent diverse theological traditions, and have been described as representing a "silent majority" of Chinese Christians.[10]
^Bays, Daniel H. (2011-06-09). A New History of Christianity in China. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 7–15, 18–21. ISBN 978-1-4443-4284-0.
^ ab"Protestant Christianity is booming in China". The Economist. 2020-09-15.
^Miller, 2006. pp. 185-186
^"《中國保障宗教信仰自由的政策和實踐》白皮書（全文）". 2018-04-03. Archived from the original on 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
^ abWielander 2013, p. 3
^Marsh, 2011. p. 232
^Ferguson, David (2015-01-06). "Merry Christmas, 100 million Chinese!". People's Daily Online. People's Daily.
^Johnstone, Patrick (2001). Operation World. London: Paternoster. p. 165.
^Goossaert, Vincent and David A. Palmer. The Religious Question in Modern China. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press (2011), pp. 380-387.
^Hunter, Alan and Kim-Kwong Chan. Protestantism in Contemporary China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1993), p. 178.
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