China Aid
(Hangzhou, Zhejiang—Dec. 20, 2016) A hotel in China’s coastal Zhejiang province canceled two Christmas Eve services after the government warned them not to host any religious activities.
Expecting a large congregation for its annual Christmas Eve services, a house church in Hangzhou reached out to the Chaowang Hotel and reserved its conference hall. However, the government later forbade the venue from hosting religious activities, forcing them to cancel the event, a hotel employee said.
A Christian, identified only by his surname, Hu, said the church previously held similar services, but, “In these several years since the beginning of the cross demolitions, pressure coming from the government has been comparatively heavy, and the current atmosphere has become relatively tense. So, for the past two years, we haven’t done such a thing [to rent a hotel conference room].
According to local Christians, police turn their attention to house church activities during the Christmas season, and the churches that reserve hotel conference halls become easy targets for persecution.
China Aid reports persecution, such as that experienced by house churches in Zhejiang, in order to promote religious freedom in China.
ChinaAid Media Team
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