{"id":5232,"date":"2011-08-06T08:44:59","date_gmt":"2011-08-06T12:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/?p=5232"},"modified":"2011-08-05T13:03:44","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T17:03:44","slug":"visiting-house-arrested-chinese-pastor-difficult-for-longtime-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2011\/08\/visiting-house-arrested-chinese-pastor-difficult-for-longtime-friend","title":{"rendered":"Visit to house-arrested Chinese pastor difficult for longtime friend"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE:<\/strong> China\u2019s government has for 16 weeks been coming down hard on Beijing\u2019s 1,000-member Shouwang Church \u2014 banishing some members from the Chinese capital, pressuring employers and landlords to shun members. The following, provided by the China Aid Association, is an account of how a close friend of Pastor Jin Tianming attempted to visit him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

By Yuan Xin
\n<\/em>Special to Beliefnet<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Shouwang worshipers before the crackdown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cab stopped at the gate of the residential compound Shuguang Garden. When I saw the window of Pastor Tianming\u2019s house, tears couldn\u2019t help flowing from my eyes. When I last came here with my mother who was seriously sick and with a few big pieces of luggage, Tianming had been waiting downstairs for a long time with a smiling face. Today, it\u2019s hard to recall all these past episodes of our life. Tianming has been placed under house arrest for over 10 weeks now and I didn\u2019t know how his health was and how his mood was. Thinking of this, sadness overwhelmed me and tears ran down my face.<\/p>\n

After I made a right turn, walked on a cement sidewalk and entered the elevator room on the first floor, I pressed 9 button for the 9th floor, someone immediately began to examine us with an investigative look. I avoided that suspicious eye-contact and stared at the door of the elevator. Finally, the elevator came to the 9th floor.<\/p>\n

As soon as I came out of the elevator, I was stunned as I was already facing a desk with an appointment book with visitors\u2019 names and their IDs.<\/p>\n

Obviously, this place has been turned into a formal mini-office and I found this both funny and annoying. A policewoman stood at the side of desk and was ready for the confrontation. When she saw my eyesight turned right in search of Tianming\u2019s door, she seemed to know that we were visitors instead of tenants on the 9th floor. So the questioning started this way:<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your name? Got an ID with you?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pastor Jin Tianming, left, in happier times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I made an effort to smile a little and hesitated whether she required us to show her the identifications. \u201cI am a friend of Tianming\u2019s family and I come from outside the town. I\u2019d like to visit them in passing. I\u2019ve been here before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before is before and now is now. No one can pass here without signing in.<\/p>\n

This was followed by a banging sound and a registration book was thrown before me. I took a deep breath and exhaled it with some efforts.<\/p>\n

I prayed silently: \u201cMy Lord. Since I\u2019ve come here from so far away, I should cooperate with them till I can see him and have a good chat.\u201d<\/p>\n

I took out the purse but my hand didn\u2019t seem to do what I wanted it to do.<\/p>\n

It trembled incessantly as if I were a criminal.<\/p>\n

I knew the person under the house arrest is Tianming, not myself —<\/p>\n

To read complete letter, CLICK HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: China\u2019s government has for 16 weeks been coming down hard on Beijing\u2019s 1,000-member Shouwang Church \u2014 banishing some members from the Chinese capital, pressuring employers and landlords to shun members. 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