A Survey of Christianity in Hangzhou

ZHANG, ZHONGCHENG

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A Survey of Christianity in Hangzhou

ZHANG, ZHONGCHENG

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Survey_Christ_Hangzhou_CTR_24_2012_red.pdf

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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/229336

Abstract

There are about 300,000 Christians in the Hangzhou area (which includes the 8 districts of Shangcheng, Xiacheng, Jianggan, Gongshu, Xihu, Binjiang, Xiaoshan and Yuhang, the 3 county-level cities of Jiande, Fuyang and Lin’an, and the 2 counties of Tonglu and Chun’an. There are 200 villages and towns (districts), including 31 villages, 99 towns and 70 sub-districts, with a total area of 16,596 square kilometers, including the urban area of 3,068 square kilometers.) In the last few years, population growth and development have remained rapid. Every year the number of Christians has trended upward, moreover there has also been a shift in the makeup of Christian believers; i.e., they are becoming increasingly younger and better educated and due to the increased pace of urbanization. A floating population from other places has continued to pour into the city and there is a sharply rising trend in the number of Christians from outside Hangzhou among them. A large number of Hangzhou Christians also have considerable economic clout and enhanced ideas about involvement in various social welfare undertakings; moreover many actually participate in various ways in such activities. New issues arising from this situation—the contradictions brought about by the inadequate numbers of Christian worship venues and the need for rational distribution of such venues —need to be considered. Other issues await exploration as well: management within Christian churches and organizations, the need for A Survey of Christianity in Hangzhou ZHANG ZHONGCHENG 62 ongoing improvement in the quality of believers [i.e., their education and maturity in the faith], as well as the overall quality of those in charge in Christian groups, relationships among those of different denominational backgrounds and treatment of privately run meeting points. This survey is aimed at research and analysis of Christianity in the eight urban districts of Hangzhou in the hope of providing an overall picture of its development, future trends in that development and exploring responses to ongoing Christian work. Basic trends in the development of Christianity in Hangzhou are shown in the results of research and analysis presented in this report. Though these are trends, they may change due to changes in the times. What follows is based on analysis presented in the first part of this report and some of these trends may have shifted due to various changes.

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2010

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A Survey of Christianity in Hangzhou

ZHANG, ZHONGCHENG

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