Destruction and Renewal

Before 1958, most Protestant churches were less heavily stigmatized, unlike the Catholic Church, which had been overshadowed by the politically charged “counterrevolutionary” stigma since 1949. Many village Protestant churches welcomed new converts and new church groups were founded. This ongoing growth had other consequences as well, creating friction with state programs, local cadres, and even non-Christian villagers. In Wenzhou, the local government used the occasion of the Great Leap Forward beginning in 1958 to launch a “great leap in religious work,” shutting down all churches and forcing Christians to renounce their faith. The campaign left Protestant communities deeply divided, mixing fresh wounds with old feuds. The hostile political climate led to clandestine house gatherings and new modus operandi for Christian communities. This shift would bring about a much more dramatic transformation during the Cultural Revolution.