When journalist Liao Yiwu first stumbled upon a vibrant
Christian community in the officially secular China, he
knew little about Christianity. In fact, he'd been
taught that religion was evil, and that those who
believed in it were deluded, cultists, or imperialist
spies. But as a writer whose work has been banned in
China and has even landed him in jail, Liao felt a
kinship with Chinese Christians in their unwavering
commitment to the freedom of expression and to finding
meaning in a tumultuous society.
Unwilling to let his nation lose memory of its past or
deny its present, Liao set out to document the untold
stories of brave believers whose totalitarian
government could not break their faith in God,
including:
- The over-100-year-old nun who persevered in spite of
beatings, famine, and decades of physical labor, and
still fights for the rightful return of church land
seized by the government
- The surgeon who gave up a lucrative Communist
hospital administrator position to treat villagers for
free in the remote, mountainous regions of southwestern
China
- The Protestant minister, now memorialized in London's
Westminster Abbey, who was executed during the Cultural
Revolution as "an incorrigible counterrevolutionary"
This ultimately triumphant tale of a vibrant church
thriving against all odds serves as both a powerful
conversation about politics and spirituality and a
moving tribute to China's valiant shepherds of faith,
who prove that a totalitarian government cannot control
what is in people's hearts.
Christian community in the officially secular China, he
knew little about Christianity. In fact, he'd been
taught that religion was evil, and that those who
believed in it were deluded, cultists, or imperialist
spies. But as a writer whose work has been banned in
China and has even landed him in jail, Liao felt a
kinship with Chinese Christians in their unwavering
commitment to the freedom of expression and to finding
meaning in a tumultuous society.
Unwilling to let his nation lose memory of its past or
deny its present, Liao set out to document the untold
stories of brave believers whose totalitarian
government could not break their faith in God,
including:
- The over-100-year-old nun who persevered in spite of
beatings, famine, and decades of physical labor, and
still fights for the rightful return of church land
seized by the government
- The surgeon who gave up a lucrative Communist
hospital administrator position to treat villagers for
free in the remote, mountainous regions of southwestern
China
- The Protestant minister, now memorialized in London's
Westminster Abbey, who was executed during the Cultural
Revolution as "an incorrigible counterrevolutionary"
This ultimately triumphant tale of a vibrant church
thriving against all odds serves as both a powerful
conversation about politics and spirituality and a
moving tribute to China's valiant shepherds of faith,
who prove that a totalitarian government cannot control
what is in people's hearts.
