In China, Churches Challenge the Rules

The 85-year-old church, in the suburban district of Xiaoshan, had its own building before government officials turned it into a hospital many years ago. Since then, members had haggled with officials for compensation and a new location, most recently rejecting a government-approved spot beside a noisy highway.

"Xiaoshan people have the tradition of family or house gatherings and they're rich, so they want more freedom," said Chen. "It's hard for the government to regulate them and tell them where to build their church."

Tired of delays, church members decided in July they couldn't wait any longer. Hundreds gathered in Xiaoshan's Cheluwan village to build the church by hand. They began on a Monday, one group encircling the site to serve as protection with a second group working in rotation through the night. Some volunteers cooked while others stood above one another on metal scaffolding, handing up bricks, sand, cement, shovels and rope.

By Saturday morning they needed only to lay the roof. But on the afternoon of July 29, authorities sent several hundred trucks, four bulldozers, and thousands of riot police, security officers and non-uniformed guards to the scene. Police used bullhorns to order everyone to disperse.

"Stop all illegal activity," the police demanded, as bystanders used their cellphones to photograph their arrival. "Nobody should obstruct state officials who are executing their public function. Nobody should make up facts, spread rumors or disturb social order."

A riot broke out as church members tried to stop the demolition. More than 50 people were detained and many were beaten, said an attorney for the detained, who interviewed and photographed the injured. Six church leaders remain under arrest for instigating violence and interfering with the law. Prosecutors will decide whether to formally charge them this month.

The head of the village, who said his surname was Wang, insisted there had been no injuries and complained that the church was unregistered and illegal.

"They're absolutely lawless. They consider God to be the most powerful authority and ignore the law," Wang said in a telephone interview.

Official state media reported only that an illegal building had been dismantled, but news of the riot, arrests and beatings spread quickly among Christians.

"This would only happen in Zhejiang. In other provinces, Christians wouldn't dare to build a church this way," said a preacher in a registered Three-Self church in Hangzhou that has several thousand worshipers. He asked not to be named because religion is such a sensitive topic.

"The authorities pay no attention to what you preach, so long as you don't talk about political issues," the preacher said. "The law in China is very fluid. They can regulate but people sometimes do what they want."

In Xiaoshan, however, residents now live in fear. There is an ongoing investigation into who leaked news of the riot to foreign media. One villager said police have been waiting outside the homes of active Christians and posing as journalists.