Authorities in Henan Province are entirely banning names with any religious words, forcing businesses to change them.
According to a Chinese Communist Party insider, at the beginning of this year, prefecture-level cities in Henan Province adopted special plans to regulate Christian affairs for the implementation of the newly revised Regulations on Religious Affairs. Since then, all levels of government in Henan Province have targeted companies with names that have religious connotations. Any products with religious content also had to be removed from store shelves.
A Christian couple in 1987 founded Bethlehem Flour Mill, located in Qi county of Hebi city. Earlier this year, representatives from the local Administration Bureau for Industry and Commerce informed the owners that the state did not allow religious faith, and the word “Bethlehem” in their company name had to be replaced. If they disobeyed, their business license and permits would be revoked. The name has been changed to Qingshan Flour Mill.
Another company, “Henan Ark Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.,” located in Gongyi city was forced by the local government to change its name in May 2018.
One of the affected helplessly said, “Even the slightest connection to religion is banned now. Government officials say that they use satellite positioning to locate signs with religious connotations and force to replace them, threatening to withhold business permits. How can we, the common people, resist the state’s suppression?”
Reported by Jiang Tao
