A new book, From the "Extermination" Movement to the Birth of "Jerusalem in China," set for publication next month, examines the historical development of Christianity in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, from 1957 to 1979.
Co-published by the Chinese Christian Literature Council (TW) and the Research Center for Chinese Christianity at Chung Yuan Christian University, the book consists of seven chapters focusing on the period between 1957 and 1979, often referred to as the "blank period" of Christianity in China. According to Chinese Christian Studies, the book examines the transformation and development of Christianity in Wenzhou during the "three no's" era (no churches, pastors, and Bibles) against the backdrop of Wenzhou being designated a "no religion zone."
Authored by Chen Fengsheng, the book highlights how Wenzhou's Christian communities achieved a church revival despite the absence of traditional advantages such as policy support, Western missionary aid, and pastoral leadership. Through adaptive strategies, they developed a distinctive "Wenzhou model" and pastoral management system. The book offers historical insights into the roots of the contemporary Wenzhou Christian phenomenon.
Chen Fengsheng, born in Yongjia, Zhejiang, in 1979, is a theologian and pastor with extensive academic and pastoral experience. Holding master's degrees in pastoral studies and theology, as well as a Ph.D., Chen once graduated from the East China Theological Seminary, Bethel Bible Seminary, and Alliance Bible Seminary. With a long-term research focus on the history of Christianity in Wenzhou and Zhejiang, he has authored numerous monographs and published over 200 academic papers. Chen has served as both a pastor and theological educator in various churches across Zhejiang Province and currently works as a full-time lecturer at the Italian Chinese Theological Seminary and a researcher at Alliance Bible Seminary.
