The Dynamic Rise of Protestant Christianity in Contemporary China and Its Regional Variations

Protestant Christianity has become the fastest-growing religion in the post-Mao, reform-era China. Despite developing under an atheist party-state that believes in the control and containment of religion, the Chinese church exhibits great resilience and adaptability in various local and regional contexts. The current number of China’s Christians is almost comparable to that of Party members. This essay provides an account of the social and cultural dynamics of China’s Christian growth over the past four decades. It suggests that regional variation is not just a distinctive character but a central institutional mechanism of this religious resurgence under tight official restrictions.