What
an Olympic Games they were. As well as a
medal haul for the
However,
there was the darker side, hinted at by the close control of proceedings. In many ways, the sad replacement of the
child singer of the opening ceremony by a more acceptably-photogenic little
girl, was a symbol for the whole dilemma for China posed by the Games - how far could they open up to the world, showing how they really are, while still retaining tight, choreographed control? A big worry before these games was
human rights. A joint statement from
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders about
the games said this: “The development of the XIX Olympic Games in
Around
the games, the Political and Legal Committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
launched a nationwide campaign to crack down on four groups considered to be
“unstable social elements” by the Chinese authorities: house church leaders,
petitioners, human rights defenders and political dissidents.
The
situation of the Chinese church is complicated.
There is apparent freedom for churches which are prepared to register
themselves. However, they have to meet
certain standards imposed by the Government: not to criticise the regime, to follow
the line of Chinese communism and (for Roman Catholics) not to maintain
relationships with the
As
a result, many churches choose not to register – to remain underground house
churches. Though exact figures are
impossible, all indications are that these churches are growing very fast, and
are therefore seen by the Chinese leadership as a threat to the stability of Chinese society (as if!),
and so face severe restrictions. For
example, a