• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT CHINA
    • NEWS
    • TESTIMONIES
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • GLOSSARY
    • CHINA PERSECUTION MAP
  • FROM THE WORLD
    • NEWS GLOBAL
    • TESTIMONIES GLOBAL
    • OP-EDS GLOBAL
    • FEATURED GLOBAL
  • INTERVIEWS
  • DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS
    • DOCUMENTS
    • THE TAI JI MEN CASE
    • TRANSLATIONS
    • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • TOPICS

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

three friends of winter
Home / China / News China

Students Reading Religious Books Face Investigations

05/18/2019Han Sheng |

Colleges and universities in Henan Province introduce new restrictions on the procurement and management of religious materials in their libraries.

a man in a university libraryHan Sheng

In October last year, a university in central China’s Henan Province issued two documents that strictly regulate the procurement, management, and lending of religious books. One of the documents, the Measures on the Library’s Purchase of Religious Books, limits the number of such materials to 50, only three copies of each. Only “basic theoretical books published by large national publishing houses” can be purchased.

The document also stipulates that all “politically problematic” religious books and audiovisual materials are strictly prohibited from entering the library in any way – purchased or donated.

The university administration demanded to remove from the libraries all previously-purchased religious books deemed unsuitable for lending. Also, a separate catalog was ordered to be created in the library for all remaining religion-related texts, with specially-assigned persons in charge of their management.

According to the person who provided Bitter Winter with the documents, the university is holding regular meetings regarding the issue of religion. “We weren’t allowed to take photos, nor can we talk about it online. At the end of meetings, all documents used during them, are taken back; it’s very confidential”.

The other document, The Regulations on the Borrowing of Religious Library Books stipulates such reading materials can only be available to readers who have permission from the library’s deputy director, for which they need to apply in writing, stating full name, academic department, phone number, and other information. The borrowing duration is limited to two weeks, while other books are lent for two months, and the borrowed books must not be transferred to others.

 The permission is not enough – library’s staff question borrowers of religious books about the reasons they take out these books and report their personal information to their class and department that, in turn, may decide to keep an eye on them.

A document issued by a finance and economics university in Henan calls for the implementation of “special-counter management” of religion-related books and periodicals. It also requires to collect and analyze information about people involved in religion, and “the result must be immediately reported to the United Front Work Department.”

According to a university administrator, their school has already identified more than 100 religious teachers and students through various methods, such as reports from other students, investigation of book-borrowing information, and dormitory inspections. These 100-plus persons have been designated as key targets for observation, and the school’s counselors and Party secretaries are regularly conducting “ideological and political work” on them.

“The school is now investigating the issue of religion,” the administrator added. “In general, the students aren’t borrowing religious books. Who wants to ask for trouble? If it is determined through investigation that the person borrowing religious books is truly religious, the consequences could be serious, because it will affect their future employment and all aspects of their prospects. In serious cases, the individual will be expelled from school, or even imprisoned.”

The strict control over the reading materials in libraries is one more tool employed by universities and colleges across China in making sure to keep religion away from their campuses, next to classes and tests to indoctrinate students with Party propaganda, the firing of teaching and administrative staff or detention of students for any display of religious faith.

Tagged With: Anti-Religion Activity in Schools

bw-profile
Han Sheng

Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.

Related articles

  • Church-Run Schools Eliminated to Advance Patriotic Education

    Church-Run Schools Eliminated to Advance Patriotic Education

  • Shanghai Uses Holidays to Indoctrinate Children Against “Illegal” Religion

    Shanghai Uses Holidays to Indoctrinate Children Against “Illegal” Religion

  • Cornell University, Chinese Students, and the Uyghur Genocide: It’s the Money, Stupid

    Cornell University, Chinese Students, and the Uyghur Genocide: It’s the Money, Stupid

  • Students from Xinjiang Subjected to Disproportionate Control

    Students from Xinjiang Subjected to Disproportionate Control

Keep Reading

  • University Teachers Punished for ‘Improper’ Remarks
    University Teachers Punished for ‘Improper’ Remarks

    Academic community members across China are investigated for supporting democratic ideas or expressing views critical of the CCP’s policies and actions.

  • True Colors of China’s Boarding Schools for Uyghur Children
    True Colors of China’s Boarding Schools for Uyghur Children

    After parents are locked up in transformation through education camps, their children end up in the government’s hands – mistreated, malnourished, and depressed.

  • Chinese Schools: More Control by the Communist Party
    Chinese Schools: More Control by the Communist Party

    A new document clarifies that the school’s CCP cell should take all important decisions, and make sure students are “educated for the Party”

  • The New Preschool Directive: Cultural Genocide Now Starts in Kindergarten
    The New Preschool Directive: Cultural Genocide Now Starts in Kindergarten

    Mandarin replaces minority languages in Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang, and elsewhere. Bitter Winter publishes the full text of the document.

Primary Sidebar

Support Bitter Winter

Learn More

Follow us

Newsletter

Most Read

  • Sinicization of Christianity Comes to Hong Kong by Gladys Kwok
  • The Last Words of a Uyghur Father: A Son’s Memory by Abdurehim Gheni Uyghur
  • China: Theological Seminaries Inspected to Check How “Sinicized” They Are by Zhang Chunhua
  • Occupied Ukraine: Anti-Cult “Experts” Target Moscow Patriarchate Dissident Priest by Massimo Introvigne
  • Xi Jinping: Beijing’ National Art Museum Is Not Socialist Enough by Hu Zimo
  • France, Sonia Backès Caught Red-Handed Again: A “Religious Profiling” of Muslim Students in Schools by Massimo Introvigne
  • Chinese Agents Tried to Bribe U.S. Tax Officer in Anti-Falun-Gong Plot by Massimo Introvigne

CHINA PERSECUTION MAP -SEARCH NEWS BY REGION

clickable geographical map of china, with regions

Footer

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

MASSIMO INTROVIGNE

Director-in-Charge

MARCO RESPINTI

ADDRESS

CESNUR

Via Confienza 19,

10121 Turin, Italy,

Phone: 39-011-541950

E-MAIL

We welcome submission of unpublished contributions, news, and photographs. Each submission implies the authorization for us to edit and publish texts and photographs. We reserve the right to decide which submissions are suitable for publication. Please, write to INFO@BITTERWINTER.ORG Thank you.

Newsletter

LINKS

orlir-logo hrwf-logo cesnur-logo

Copyright © 2023 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY