Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Apr 19: China, People’s Republic, Yunnan Province, Zhejiang Province
China
People's Republic of China
Asia
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Geography
Area: 9,573,000 sq kmThe third-largest state in the world, also containing the highest mountains and plateaus in the world. The climate and geography are extremely diverse, ranging from tropical in the south to sub-arctic in the north, from a highly industrialized and modern eastern seaboard to sparsely populated western deserts and mountain ranges. Hong Kong and Macau are integral parts of China, though their statistics are not included here; Taiwan’s status is debated. These three are handled separately.
Population: 1,330,584,783 Annual Growth: 0.63%
Capital: Beijing
Urbanites: 44.9%
HDI Rank: 92 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 516 (83% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese); local languages in the five Autonomous Regions. 15 regional mega-languages. There are an estimated 600 different spoken Han dialects, but one written language common to all Languages: 296 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Non-religious| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 105,382,315 | 7.92 | 2.7 |
| Evangelicals | 75,399,270 | 5.7 | 2.9 |
| Non-religious | 590,247,410 | 44.36 |
Challenge for Prayer
Opposing forces at work in Chinese society are creating tensions that demand urgent attention and foresight. The reformed central government struggles to maintain control over state authorities and trusts economic growth to solve most of the country’s problems. But China’s sheer size, its financial boom and the lack of freedom of information conspire to multiply injustices, expand the gap between rich and poor and defeat the egalitarian purposes of socialism. The following points of mounting pressure bear mention:a) Freedom of information. The government vainly tries to control the flow of and exposure to information, while also promoting Internet use. But a bored and disillusioned new generation that hankers after freedom is not only finding creative ways to access information, but many are also developing potentially dangerous hacking skills in the process.
b) Political and economic reforms. Resistance to substantial political change is irreconcilable with the juggernaut of capitalism (and its results: crass materialism and personal greed). Issues surrounding property ownership, banking, the widening gap between rich and poor, private versus state-provided social services – to name just a few – beset policy-makers and must be addressed.
c) Corruption and scandal. Embezzlement, graft and widespread deception plague both government and business. China tops the list of countries willing to pay bribes in business, and rampant cheating and fraud tarnish academia. China’s record on containing corruption has regressed, while other countries have made progress or remained the same in this area.
d) Urbanization. China now hosts the most massive human migration in history. In just a couple of generations, hundreds of millions of rural dwellers have relocated to China’s urban centres, drastically changing the nation’s demographics. Many millions simply cannot make a living farming, and urbanites earn 350% more than rural-area workers. Such rapid migration to urban areas leaves families lacking basic social services and educational opportunities, and creates problems such as overcrowding and unemployment.
e) Ethnic unrest. Internal strife remains at the forefront of both national and international attention, as conflict within Tibet and Xianjiang persists. Ultimately, reconciliation and the hope of peace lie only in the power of the gospel.
Coming change is inevitable and will be massive; pray that it might be well managed, peaceful and ultimately of spiritual benefit to China.
For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of China.Yunnan Province
China
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Challenge for Prayer
The Han Chinese Christians have experienced notable church growth in the last 10 years, among both Catholics and Protestants, registered and unregistered. Yet the percentage of Han Chinese in Yunnan who are Christian is still only at the national average. Pray for the growth of the Church among them, and pray for an awakening to the spiritual needs of the ethnic minorities among whom they live.For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Yunnan Province.Zhejiang Province
China
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
Zhejiang’s Christians have done much to evangelize other parts of China as well as the two million migrant labourers who work here. Many wealthy Christian entrepreneurs use their business skills to reach the rest of China, travelling around on business and setting up fellowships (and businesses) as they go. These “boss Christians” use their business acumen and their companies as a means to spread the good news. Other Christians are likewise generous in supporting the vision of China’s evangelization. Pray for this vision to grow.For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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