On February 1, 2020, the cross that adorns the top of the 100-year-old Shuixin Church in Wenzhou City was removed by dozens of Chinese security guards. Church attendees had recently rejected the government’s request to remove the cross so Zhejiang Province officials forcibly removed it.
Local reports indicate security guards entered the church several hours prior and detained the church’s security guards before shutting off the electricity to the building. Several contractors then used a crane to hoist the cross from the church roof.
One church member noted the cross had been removed by officials before.
“The CCP has forcibly removed Shuixin church’s cross several times in the past. During the first cross removal at 2 pm on June 30, 2014, the Zhejiang government had launched a campaign called “Renovation of old residential areas, old industrial plants and urban-villages, and demolishing of illegal buildings.”
Some China provinces do not allow religious symbolism on buildings. A local member explained why the cross was removed from the Shuixin Church.
“Government officials claim a cross on a church roof top makes the city look bad and blocks a driver’s sight.”
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