The Caravan Cafe closed? Hmm, maybe traveling on a two-year old Lonely Planet isn't going to cut it after all this summer.

Any other tips?

@Michael - As much as I hate the missionaries (especially the ones who come in as students - why is it they always pick on the hot girls for conversion?) they do a lot of good work in other parts of the world. In China they can't do the kind of medical or educational work that in other countries makes their presence much more paletable, but this is the government's fault, not the fault of the missionaries. All the same, missionaries (and especially those Mormon fucks) were the bain of my life in Taiwan, where they are neither needed for their charitable role, nor particularly wanted as prosletisers.

Hear! Hear! Bring on the lions!

Actually, FOARP, I knew a group of missionaries out in Taiyuan about 6 years ago who were doing the medical and educational work you speak of. And unlike the regular twats who come in disguised as students or teachers and preach their rather noxious, almost Taleban-like fundamentalism, this particular group knew exactly what they were doing on the legal as well as cultural, historical, linguistic and societal levels. And they were good folks, and I did on several occasions sit down to a few beers with one of them. So although it's good to read of the current clean up in Xinjiang, I'd also like to state that good missionaries do exist and there were at least a few of them in China about 6 years ago.

Yo homie, your condescending arrogance makes me proud to be an American! Keep up the good work (whatever it is that you're doing over there)...
Cheers!

That good blog that you have, congratulations regards from Catalonia - Spain

Aww, hear something that un-religious and from an american shed some light in this dark dark world.

Missionaries are the small pox of culture, expecialy the ones that do also something good other than preaching.

Good post!

Wow, now I know why I didn't get a response to my second e-mail! : ) You have valid points, as some missionaries use too much fire and brimstone talk to convert people. Others are hypocrits. But those folks give other Christians a bad name, and we really don't like them too much, either.

I don't begrudge you for your opinions, even though I am a proud Christian and have done missionary work in China before. But I do ask of you to please not "out" the missionaries. You mention that they don't blend in anyway, so please don't take it upon yourself to rat them out to officials. Most of them are on short trips, so they'll be out of the country soon.

God bless,

Bethany

Actually it is NOT illegal to participate in religious activity. Neither does the government outlaw missionaries, Mormon or otherwise. The problem is the Chinese law allows religious activity mostly only in recognized "religious confines", such as xtian churches, mosques etc, which effectively bans the door-to-door approach of the sales pitches. No idea what the regulation is on establishing new "religious confines".

I would guess that most of the time the government is rather lax in their carrying out of that particular ban, but if they keep a tab on you, it won't be hard to expel you on a 'legal' footing once they decide to do so.

Just wanted to point that out.

I also have a friend who is Canadian citizen but Hong Kong origin did a lot of work in Guanxi. He also teaches Christianism in univerities as a scholar. His organation did a lot of works to help poor kids in Guanxi especially Zhuang and Yao minorities for college education. They did preach Jesus to the kids but no formal Churches and worships. Many of the kids become Christians, but he still is in good term with governments--from Central to Local.

I think it is OK to convert people to Christians so they can join the government-proved Churches.

Chinese people have their own traditions and cultures, so why do you want to convert them to a different and alien religion and then they can forget their own traditions? It's really despicable to use material enticement (disguised in charity activities) to convert people. I am totally for Chinese government and Indian government and all Islamic governments to expel annoying Christian missionaries. 打倒神棍！！！

I would rather join Islam than the Jesum cult. At least Muslims don't come to knock on your door every sunday morning trying to convert you. I knew an old white couple who used to knock on my door every sunday morning. They went to china and learned chinese. Then they come back to US to convert Chinese students. Every Sunday they go to the student buildings. They read the names on the front door and if they found any chinese-like surname, they will buzz you. I didn't know better back then and buzzed them in 3 times. Each time they tried to open my eyes and open my heart to Jesus. It's hard to be rude to these God people and I was also polite but firm. I was evey somewhat guilty to throw their booklets into the trash. One time I told them one reason i don't want to convert is that i have my own tradtion. I love my parents and if i converted i would be different from my parents and my grandparents. To that they replied that Jesus used to say 'he who loves his parents more than loves me doesn't deserve me.' I was really shocked to know that this Jesus guy said this and taught the children to rebel against their parents. You are right Jesus, I don't deserve you, and you don't deserve me either. And I am not afraid.

@Bethany:

It's not that I particularly dislike missionaries... it's that they don't want to be friends or even be socialize with non-missionaries. I've lived in Korla for about 2 1/2 years now, and there have always been at least 3 or 4 missionaries in town. Yet every time I see them they avoid me, and they're not even interested in having dinner. I could understand that sort of behavior in Beijing, but when there's only 10 foreigners in a city, everyone should at least make a show of trying to get along.

I also regret the shadow of suspicion that missionaries cast on all foreigners once they've been found operating in a certain area.

Don't worry, I'm not "outting" anyone.

Michael,
Although this is the first time I've commented, I've been reading your blog for about a month now and I've generally appreciated your insights and personal annecdotes involving a part of the world that I've studied intensely. This is the first time that I've been somewhat offended and and largely in disagreement with one of your posts - and especially with the reactions its solicited (although I realize you can take no responsibilities for the randomness of others). On the missionaries - many missionaries in Xinjiang do not target Uighurs at all really - most do not speak thier language. They learn Chinese and thanks to central government policies to flood Xinjiang with ever more Han Chinese they have a plentiful audience when they go to Xinjiang and target Han - which is often what thier doing. I've also know MANY missionaries who are working with China involved in charitalbe endeavors of all sorts, from medical work to orphanages to repairing homes and helping with water sanitation. They are on the forefront of work with the government in Beijing seeking new regulations that will make it legal for more non-governmental organizations (religious or otherwise) to be involved in such work so that the civil society sector can more effectively step in to the innumerable places where current social safety nets fall short. On the attitudes of the Uighurs - maybe I've observed a more tollerant bunch than you have! Most wouldn't be up for conversion themselves, but you may or may not know that there are Uighur Christians - and not just converts. Besides that, the Uighur Muslims I've known have been tollerant towards them so long as they respect eachother's traditions and personal convictions. Uighurs are a proud bunch, but (largely speaking) not a radical or fundamentalist one. The expulsion of the missionaries also contravenes international standards of conventions that China has signed. Those international standards protect your right to do business in Xinjiang - they also protect the rights of others - Chinese or foreigners - to freely worship God, or Alla, or Buddha, dengdeng. This is a long first comment, but this thread needed at least one opinion from someone who can try to inject at least a bit of balance into this argument.

@ Michael, good point. Don't the evangelicals know they are makin these muslims angry?

@ officedweller,

Lol, i thought you were one of those who spoke with sense, I was mistaken. I find your comments sometimes as bad as nancheyeroguan...watevadafuk his name was.

You know were talking about religion, I wonder why you didn't show atleast some sensitivity. I believe ppl can express their views but not at their expense.

@Shockwave and other faithful Christians out there,

Sorry for my offensive comments. I have good days and bad days. When i have my bad days, i am a mean and uncontrollable animal. And i write down things which i regret about later on.

In real life I have quite a few Christian friends. Most of them are nice people. I even went on a retreat trip to a mountain nearby Albany with their church. However they were very subtle in their attempt to convert me, and I didn't quite feel the pressure. That saved both me and them a lot of embarassement and I thank them for that.

However in my life I also came across quite intrusive missionaries like the white couple I mentioned and some Taiwanese lady who also learned the trick to buzz random residents in a building. I was usually polite to them but that doesn't mean I want to invite some strangers into my room on Sunday morning to 'save' me. Frankly the thought that I have to be saved by these people outrages me. They think they are better people, purer people, people who hold the key and I on the other hand have to be 'saved'. This act of converting per se carries an implicit judgement, 'i am holier than thou, my religion is the right one and your tradtions are fause and wrong'. I think that's why I don't like it. And converting to an alien religion amounts to a betrayal to your parents who brought you up, and a betrayal to my OWN tradtion. Christianity already enjoys most followers in the world. Why aren't they happy with that? Live and let live. As Islam effectively made many ancient cultures disappear in Asia, Christianity has done the same thing in Africa and is still doing it in every part of the world. Why do people want a dull world when there is only one religion, one culture left? This is what Christian missinaries are trying to achieve in my opinion. A real religious people should spend more time mediating and improving themselves instead of converting.

Not trying to offend anybody this time, just some of my honest thoughts.

pmv,

Yes, missionary and proselyting efforts ARE illegal in China. I'm mormon, and from what I can tell the restrictions on foreigners are something like this: Any members of churches/mosques/religions that are not officially recognized by the government of china (ie, the big five including China patriot catholicism and protestant) are allowed to meet as foreign passport holders, but may not be involved in active or passive proselytizing to chinese nationals, except for family members of foreign nationals.

And I have to second Ming's point. Some missionaries of ANY religion can be annoying, rude, and fanatical in their efforts to save. However I think many are motivated by a sincere love of their fellow mankind and hope to serve them. I know the LDS church (mormon), while not proselyting due to chinese law, is one of the largest NGO's in china involved in all sorts of charity work, from disaster relief to wheelchair donation. And religious organizations from around the entire spectrum are doing the same thing. And in terms of spreading the gospel (or whatever religious doctrine), I think it can seem annoying to some people, but I've personally seen people's lives change for the better when religion came into their hearts. Call it being saved, call it being reborn, call it finding Christ, whatever, but for some people, the spiritual growth that can come with religion is very personal, and very real.

Hey y'all,
Might suprise some of you to know that Christianity has been around Xinjiang longer than you'd think. Nestorian christians made their way into Xinjiang as early as the 6th or 7th century AD. By 660AD there were Nestorian monasteries in most Chinese cities. In the 19th century when Tsarist Russia invaded yili, north of Turpan, they found Nestorians still living there.
Whats my point? I guess it's that Xinjiang is a vast and diverse place and that Christianity is not as completely alien to it as some people might imagine.
As for modern day missionaries, im undecided, Occasionally their cultural insensitivity makes you want to scream but it seems as though theres a lot of good being done at the same time, as others have pointed out.
Great blog by the way!

For understanding missionary activities in China, you need to know two historic events in China--1)Christian Taiping Rebellion and 2)anti-Christian Boxer Rising.

At 1894, Roman Catholic establishment totaled by some 750 European missionaries, 400 native priests, and over half a million communicants. Protestant missions had begun at Guangzhou (where Hong Xuquan was converted) after 1807. First Americans arrived in 1830. At 1894 Protestant mission effort supported over 1300 missionaries, mainly British, American, and Canadian, and maintained some 500 stations--each with a church, residences, street chapels, usually a small school, and possibly a hospital or dispensary in about 350 different cities, adn towns. Yet they have made fewer than 60,000 Christian converts among the China. Plainly, China was not destined to becomea Chistian nation.

After 1860, the increase of contact needs the frictions between missionaries and Chinese intelecturals (gentry). The worst was at Huanan where Zheng Guofeng led resistance against Christian Taipings. Typically, gentry would spread rumors of missionary immorality when men and women worshipped together as the bestial orgies of priests to incite a riot. In turn, missionaries demanded Qing government for offical protection of their treaty rights with gunboat balckmail. The missionaries, especially Catholics in particular were very aggressive to support their converts in lawsuits. Due to the gunboat powers forcing the Qing government's hands, no matter what the disputes, a lawsuit was ALWAYS won in the court by converts against non-converts due to interference from missonaries which in turn puts fires in anti-Christian populace movement which finally results Boxer Uprising.

One instance in Yunnan while French priests advocated that any converts were no longer subjects of Qing China, but rahter Catholic France. The missionaries restored large catch of weapons for converts to be used in assitance when "Liberators" would took over Annan (Vietnam) and pushing into Yuannan. Due to little trade, French championed Catholic missions whose bishops claimed and sometimes received a sort of offical status.

In this "Christian occupation of China", as it was UNWISELY called, Protestant missionaries brought their small schools and rudimentary medicion intot he major cities. But for most part the Americans who usually came from farms and perfered countryside and offered a better prospect to competing with Confucianism. By 1900, the number of Chinese converts and practicing Christians rose over 100,000, still a mere drop in the Chinese bucket.

Fast forward to 1949, when Communists took over power, and all unequal treaties of foreign imperalists were nullified and all treaty rights of missionaries being evoked and all foreign missonaries were expelled. Christian faith failed in China as it successed in Latin America and South Africa with aboriginal cultures disappered and replaced and large populations diminished. Even though Chinese communists had many of traits borrowed from Christian West and indeed inherited many of traits from Christian Taipings, the strong Confucianism root is still tough to overcome. Some historians contributed the failure of Christianizing of China with the failure of Western military power of fully colonizing of China, but others arguing that British Raj didn't Christianizing India from Hindu even the military power worked there. So as long as Chinese government still consider missionary as culture wing of Western colonazation, this issue will still be a concern.

WWJD?

Not sure I am totally with you on this Michael, though I believe I understand the reasons you have for stating what you have "on the record" as it were.
We can discuss over a cold beer next time you are in town...

I love that Google is displaying Missionary recruitment ads over this post....

I tend to search my past and though future in Judaism. They are noble and not chasing you to their synagogue by force. That's the source of monotheism. Why not start from the beginning?

Sha:

Revisionist history again? The Qing gov't promoted the rise of the "boxers" who were nothing more than mobs pretending to be mystical warriors to attack the foreigners as a spearhead to the Qing armies rising up against the legations. The Boxers and subsequent attacks by loyal divisions of the Qing army killed alot more Chinese than foreigners, and when the foreign armies arrived, many of Qing's best divisions, sitting between Tianjin and Beijing, held back their attack. Some chinese generals also threw away the keys to the armories holding the newest German and French weapons because they hated the Qing more than the foreigners/Christians.

Nanheyangrouchuan,

Since you don't seem no much about history, please go read some books.

One is "China: a New History" by John K. Fairbank and Merle Goldman for the period of Qing. For boxers, read "The Boxer Rebellion" by Dianna Preston.

Even the missionaries who provide medical and educational work are bad news. If you were poor and/or starving, and somebody came to you and offered you free medical care and education in exchange for accepting your beliefs most people would probably accept it. This does not discount the fact that it is using deception to spread religious beliefs. If these people really just wanted to do charity work, why the need to ejaculate their religion all over the map? If they felt their religion could be of benefit to others, then why the need for all the fringe benefits?

Sha:

I read the Dianna Preston book, what do you think of the idea of Japanese soldiers defending Chinese christians?

No one is interested in your dirty CCP history.

Any and all proselytizing religions are messed up. Period. I will back down from saying that they're all insane for talking to their imaginary friend - whatever makes people happy - but keep away from trying to suck other people into your delusions. When they do, then I will stop pointing out how delusional they are.

Most of those people mean well, but they do not realize how their prosalytization is a continuation of a long tradition of transforming societies to make their political takeovers seem more benevolent. Religion is all about power. Rome invented it, the Spaniards and the Muslims honed it. Basically, if you introduce a new religion into a country, you soon have the people too busy fighting each other to notice when they're invaded - and the new religion factor may side with the invadors.

Really, China is right to ban missionaries.

Yeah, I'm just going to have to throw in my stock.
Missionaries trying to convert people? Suck.
Missionaries doing good deeds for people in need? Good deal.
If I'm not mistaken Jesus did say to live by example.....

Some of you have certainly had some negative experiences which sound like a real turnoff. My experiences were different.

In my 3 years in Greater China, I initially found missionaries to be nice but aloof. Over time, those I knew proved themselves to be people of integrity.

No, they didn't drink, but they were pleasant, and often funny without joking at anyone else's expense.

Overall, I noticed their appreciation of Chinese people and culture.

Wendy,

Actually a good number of those missionaries are oversea Chinese and have no clutural barrier.

The problem could be in some sensitive areas like Tibet, Xinjiang and Ninxia where a FULL religion is in very much control, there is some possility that those missionaries may cause some ire among powerful relegious figures like Imans or Lamas. Chinese government would want no part to stir things up in those areas and normally "respect" whatever those leaders wish.

Yes, I think China is quite afraid of offending Iman. You never know what sort of problems might arise should David Bowie become involved.

Get a life and grow up. You sound like a junior high kid as a middle age dude that never grew up. Go home make your money made in America instead of feding of por people in China who do have thr fredom of chocies our USA has to be an idiot like you and exploit these people for your monetary gain.You use their country and then turn around an crique it. You'd best look in the mirror at yourself with an eviction notice. I hope China government read your blog and kick your rude mouth and crude writing back to America. Your blogger is prejudical, condesending, worhtless dirt.Someday soon you will be humbled by your own old age and dirt dished out.There is only one God and Savior Lord Jesus Christ and your knee will bow before Him someday with a humble broken heart. Wait and see. Any idiot can write like you.
No note here ever. Don't waste your votes for this middle age blogger gropping for Youtube fame from much more polished adolescents than this dude. Gaurantee , you'll face the author of your life. Rave on ...blow heart. Get a life of your own to critque.Oh,yeh,a baby wading pool for you to sit in and get wasted with your beers, and than don't forget your diapers afterwards you'll need.China government please read this blogger and kick this pathetic, insecure middle age man out asap.He'l probably pick up a child for sex also to exploit undoubtedly from his articulations and jeolousy of younger American college students able to get hot chicks. In China hot chick are a dime a dozen and they all want to go western countries. Would you in this enviroment you've wasted blogging about. I don't blame China.

Jeez, I thought 30 was the new 21, but you're making me feel like 27 is the new 40! Am I middle-aged already?

Learn how to spell and rant properly before you respond, OK? Why is it that dumb-shits like you are always the biggest Jesus freaks?

Any idiot can write like you.
Actually, idiots tend to write sentences like, No note here ever. and Would you in this enviroment you've wasted blogging about.
Is that the expression of a christian spirit Larieh? I think maybe the devil's got into you and you're liable to be on the highway to hell!

Surely the worst prosyletisers in history are not religious organisations but political ones. In most fascist and communist countries, if you don't accept the political belief system, you're likely to be imprisoned or exectuted. So isn't the Chinese government's attitude totally hypocritical? I can imagine what reaction a Chinese person in the middle of the 20th century would have got if he/she said "I have my own tradtion. I love my parents and if I became a Communist I would be different from my parents and my grandparents."!

I'm not against government regulation, but generally I'm in favour of freedom of speech. If you don't like a person telling you about what they believe, just shut the door!

Oh, and my worst ever experience of being pressurised? An organisation trying to sell me timeshare points for a holiday resort in Spain last month. I felt under much more pressure than when talking to even the most ardent Muslim, Evangelical, Mormon or JW!

Communism will prove to be just one short episode in the long Chinese history. It's already losing its control of people's thinking and mindset and Chinese people are slowing reverting to our traditonal values. That's an encouraging trend. After all, commusism is not a religion. Look at Russia and other east european countries. They all shed commusism.Christinanity on the other hand is a religion. If Chinese people were converted on a large scale to Christianity, there is little hope that they could one day go back to Chinese cultures and traditions and find our own roots. Conversion to Christiantiy is an irreversible process unlike the adoptions of communism. So from the point of preserving Chinese cultures and tradtions, Christianity is far more dangerous and harmful than communism. It poses a much greater threat. It has a potential to eliminate Chinese culture once and for all.

hey michael, thanks for this post. althought it does sounds quite harsh, u do speak my mind very clearly.
(you do actually remind of the 23 koreans you know.... and i saw some of their kid vedio about preaching muslim and conver them into protestant... and i dont understand why the christian (esp protestant) stilling trying to convert muslim after taken soo much away from the islamic civilization...)

Heh. This business makes me happy for Taoism, one of the few religions where it's practically going against the philosophy to attempt to convert people. Oddly enough, that's one of the reasons I converted... ;)

Well said! I once wrote a similar kinda thing about Christian nutters on the loose in China here: http://rwillmsen.livejournal.com/3227.html.

As a former missionary I'd like to say a word in response to your blog post. I hear two main critiques of Christians back in the states. The first is that Christian's are hypocrites. The second is that Christian's try to convert people. Anyone who sincerely believes the teachings of Jesus has to chose which of these he's going to be guilty of. If you really believed a building was on fire and you really believed you knew the way out you'd be way worse than a hypocrite or a non-pluralist if you just stood by and watched. Non-hypocritical Christianity calls for sharing the gospel with others, doing social work, putting God's commands over human commands when they are in conflict etc. Christian's are not perfect but don't give them crap when they are trying to live out their beliefs with integrity at great expense to themselves.

Now, I can understand a lot of the negative feelings. I think the missionaries would really like to be more friendly to the rest of the expat community but are in quite an awkard spot. For your sake and theirs they can't exactly say "Hi, I'm ___, I'm a missionary." Believe me, from my past experience, this is harder on them than it is on you. I would have loved to been open about my hopes and dreams and the reasons I left my life back home to go to a bizzar part of the world. Try to give them a break.

Sure there are aspects of culture that get effected by missionaries being in China but that is true of probably all expats. Historically missionaries have done tons to see cultures retained. Countless languages would have been lost if it wasn't for missionaries helping the people to write and retain their own language. I use language as an example because its the most fundamental aspect of culture.

Anyway, I'd like to apologize to the ex-pat community on behalf of any missionaries for any coolness towards you in the past (and future for that sake). I hope this helps some with understanding.

Bob

So when expat community is upset with the missionary activities you apologize to them. Don't you think you owe a bigger apology to Chinese people or for that matter, many peoples on the globe for destorying their cultures and tradtions? Or maybe deep down you believe that their cultures are inferior and not worth of perserving in the first place? YOu may mean well, to "save their souls" and "spread the words", but the fact is that you are still destorying their cultures. Islam and Christianity are the two criminals in the world history. They convert, divide people and plant seeds of conflicts and violence. While Islam spread by violence, Christinity relies on strong enomocial and financial backing from the western countries to expand. You can't say which is better. They are doing essentially the same thing, destorying and dividing.

I like your example about the building on fire. The only problem is,when the building is NOT on fire but this guy believes it's on fire and tries everything to make people believe it is, this guy is insane and should be locked up. Otherwise he would be an annoyance at least, and a social menace at worst. Keep your "beliefs" to yourself, and this world will be much better place. My "hollow heart" doesn't need you.

Are you kidding? China has Mormon missionaries up the wazoo. When I was teaching at a University in Yunnan province, my husband and I and one other guy were the only non-Mormon foreign teachers on the entire staff. The Mormons even put on a Mormon-style Christmas pagent in front of the whole school
more about that here

http://elchipz.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/kunming-christmas-122404/

When I took over a class for one of the Mormon teachers, the students told me that they had been learning "Oral English" by reciting quotes from the Bible and the Book of Mormon that the teacher had written on the blackboard.

I live in the PRC. I am a missionary and own a business.

I do what I do simply because Christianity is True. Any reasonable person willing to do the research on the historicity of the Bible will see that. Reading C.S. Lewis´s ¨Mere Christianity¨ will also help.

And because Christianity is literally true, so is the fact of man´s sin and God´s offer of forgiveness.

The Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Atheists of China are no different from any one of us. They have all shattered God´s moral law every day of their lives. Lying, stealing, cheating, selfishness, pride, etc... God not only sees these obvious sins but also sees and (rightly!) judges even the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The thought life of man is exceptionally wicked ... how would you react if every one of your thoughts were to be posted online for all to see. You would be horrified. You know the evil that you are capable of and the things your mind has pondered throughout your life.

So with sin being such a reality in each person, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world being such a powerful historical event (the New Testament is the most historically documented ancient book ever!), I am here in the PRC to share the Truth with as many people as I can.

I can´t force anyone to convert. Human beings do not want to leave their sin. Every salvation is a miracle in its own right. Praise God that miracles are happening every single day all throughout the PRC, including Xinjiang and Tibet.

How could we let the PRC´s petty laws about conversion and proselytizing keep us from sharing the Truth of forgiveness of sin with people destined to die?

I could let the Muslims and Tibetans just die in their sins... they deserve it, just like I deserve to be judged for my sins. But Jesus died for me and has saved me and these people might, just might, lay aside their pride and trust in Him if they hear His message. That´s why I am here.

Laura, Oh shut up!

Most people do not give a damn about jc. Your constant nagging of sins and salvation only pushes us freethinkers and progressive individuals even further. Can you please just shove all that proselytizing speech up the hole.

How can you even utter these words, "I could let the Muslims and Tibetans just dies in their sins." People like you are sick, and need to bury your nose in your holy than thou book and shut up.

I apologize for stating the wrong name, I was referring to Ryan from above. Please forgive my sinful act... freaks.

Greetings, Michael,

I was browsing China sites on the web, and came upon your site, The Opposite End of China. There is one matter I would like to mention about the 2007 article entitled:

Over 100 Foreign Missionaries Expelled by Chinese Government Secret Campaign.

http://china.notspecial.org/archives/2007/07/homeward_christ.html

The article contains some dis-information that we are trying to rectify. (I copied/pasted the article below.) It mentions that ELIC (English Language Institute/China had two teachers expelled from Tibet. This is not true—we did not have any teachers expelled last year—and we have clarified this matter with Bob Fu of china Aid Association. He dropped out the reference to ELIC in later iterations of the news release.

So in the interest of accurate information, we are asking you to please delete the reference to ELIC on your site.

If you want to talk further about this, please contact me, or the Director of Communications, Andy Brennan at 1-800-366-3542.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Steve Ray
Senior Editor, ELIC

Lots of interesting comments, with so many views! I appreciate the freedom of expression coming from both sides of the missionary controversy. I'm not particularly taking sides, but I have traveled to many countries and now live in China, so I've seen a lot of Christian missionary activity, some perhaps not very culturally sensitive, and some very sensitive, but as far as saying they destroy cultures, I haven't see that happen anywhere. If you mean, influencing cultures, go to Beijing, or any city in China, and look at how many streets are lined with western style bars and night clubs, and oh, yes, Karaoke bars. Are these part of Chinese traditional culture? Before we criticize missionaries for their influence on culture, we'd better take a look at the countless non-religious western "destroyers of culture" are out there.

I actually had a chance once to help build a hospital in a jungle tribe in PNG, and many of the villagers had been converted to Christianity through missionaries. Those who had been converted still followed their local customs, except for practicing witchcraft, and because of the so-called cultural influence, many of the villagers were learning to read, and fulfilling their dreams to go into town and get a real job. Missionaries had taught the villagers about sanitation, and the average life expectancy went from about 30 to over 60. If this is a what you call negative cultural influence, well, the world needs more of it!