Text of report by Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy on 24 November

(24 Nov 2009): This Centre has learned that the Fujian Sanxin Group [as published: SanXin] is building the Jinding Shopping Centre in Putian, Fujian. Piledriving for the foundations caused numerous cracks in the walls of the nearby Putian Church, which has a hundred years of history and is known as "one of the three greatest churches in Asia," rendering the building unsafe. This month hundreds of Christians have been blocking the road, and they charged into the work site to cut off the electricity. Bloody clashes have occurred with Sanxin Group workers, and 10 of the religious believers have been injured. The church is a provincial-level protected cultural property. There was a provincial government regulation against new buildings within 1km of provincial-level protected cultural property, yet this shopping centre is just 50 metres from the church.

This Centre has learned that the Sanxin Group began construction in 2007. Cracks appeared in the walls of the Putian Church not long after construction started. Beginning last year, 2,000 churchgoers affected by the damage have been forced to worship in a nearby middle school. Piledriving and other work causing strong vibrations took place on the work site in October of this year, resulting in many cracks in the church's walls. A member of the congregation who is an architect checked the church's foundations and found them damaged. The church building was promptly reinforced, but it is in danger of collapsing at any time. This month hundreds of religious believers, including old women in their 70s and 80s, have been blocking the road near the church and entering the work site to stop work there. A bloody clash between hundreds of religious believers and as many as a thousand migrant construction workers occurred on 11 November when the protesters cut off electricity at the site. Ten religious believers were injured. Clashes are still occurring. Although the authorities have promised to invest 5 million RMB to reinforce the church building, the congregation is still worried that the building will collapse, and that reinforcement work will completely ruin the appearance of the church.

Construction of Putian Christian Church was completed in 1915. Calculating from the time construction started, the church has a hundred years of history. It is the most representative old church in the history of the development of Christianity in China, as well as a provincial-level protected cultural property.

China currently has more than 60 million [Protestant] Christians and 15 million Catholics. But China is fearful of the development of religious believers as a force, and strictly limits the building of new churches. Meanwhile, old church buildings are continually being demolished in the name of so-called "urban development," causing a severe shortage of venues in which followers can worship.

Source: Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Hong Kong, in Chinese 24 Nov 09