Apr 07: China, People’s Republic, Fujian Province, Gansu Province, Guangdong Province

Challenge for Prayer

Challenges of population growth afflict Chinese with sobering troubles both now and even more acutely in the future. Although restrictions and their implementation are loosening, effects of the grievous “one-child policy” on society continue to be severe. The Chinese perform in excess of 13 million abortions per year, now a widely accepted form of birth control, particularly sex-specific (female) abortions. Many infants, if not aborted, are abandoned or kidnapped and trafficked. Some children who are raised without siblings are unduly pampered, potentially creating a sub-culture of self-absorption and indulgence. Further complications include

a) Gender imbalance. The rising generation will pay perhaps the heaviest cost related to the one-child policy, with studies predicting 20-30 million men left single by the year 2020. In some areas, young men outnumber young women by 30-40%; rape, abductions, female slavery, incest, prostitution, widespread homosexuality and the rapid spread of AIDS could be the results.

b) Work force. Coming decades will see a significant decrease in young workers for certain sectors of industry and the military in particular.

c) Care for the elderly. With fewer children available to care for aging parents, and with changes in pensions provided by the state, the need for elder care in the coming generation will present a burden on Chinese society. Many elders are, as with young children, abandoned and left without sufficient care.
Pray for wise policies to be implemented that will stabilize the population.

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Challenge for Prayer

Fujian’s connection with Taiwan is ancient and profound. Around 80% of Taiwan’s population can trace their roots back to Fujian province. The Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia and even globally is heavily weighted toward peoples from Fujian – Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka and others. Business, family and traditional connections between Taiwan and Fujian enable much potential ministry. But these links are also at the root of the revival of Buddhism and Daoism in the area, as Taiwanese seek to restore or build temples and shrines in their ancestral areas. Over 20,000 have been restored or built without legal permission. Pray that the connections between Fujian and overseas Chinese might serve to extend the gospel.

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Challenge for Prayer

The least evangelized:

a) The Dongxiang and Bonan are of mixed Mongolian background and are strongly Muslim. No one has ever sought to evangelize these isolated peoples – probably China’s least evangelized. There are a few dozen believers in each group. The Enger Yugur are related and have at least several dozen believers.

b) The Muslim Hui are numerous in the cities; the city of Linxia has only a handful of believers. Despite little outreach, there are a growing number of Hui believers scattered across China and a few small groups of believers. The Hui Bible was translated in 2009 and the NT is now in distribution.

c) Tibetan peoples are largely Lamaistic Buddhists and number 600,000. There is one Tibetan church. Four Tibetan peoples are indigenous to Gansu – the Jone and Saragh Yugur have small numbers of believers, but the Zhugqu and Boyu have none.

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Challenge for Prayer

This province has been economically booming for decades, and its people have a long tradition of being traders and entrepreneurs. Shenzen, its primary port, grew from a small fishing village to a metropolitan area of over 12 million people in the span of 25 years! Migrant labour traditionally fuelled Guangdong’s growth and wealth, with up to 30 million people from elsewhere working seasonally in the province. But with the rise of the economy in other parts of China, Guangdong’s factories are now short of workers. Rapid increases in trade and wealth, the high proportion of migrants, famously crooked local officials and historically powerful organized crime groups create an environment ripe for corruption, exploitation, crime, sexual immorality and drug abuse – all of which have rates higher here than nationally. Pray that such moral declension might be addressed; pray that the Holy Spirit would work in individuals and society for God-pleasing change.

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