Public Opinion on Proselytisation in China

While proselytisation in public in prohibited in China, videos about Christian proselytisers in public spaces were recently posted on Bilibili, China’s equivalent of Youtube, defying censorship expectations. I analyse netizens’ comments in response to one of them, looking more specifically at public discourse about proselytisation in public and Christianity in China more generally. I find that for some citizens, discourse on these subjects is very much guided by the Chinese Communist Party. Some citizens choose to embrace the party-state’s stance on proselytisation in public which is to condemn the practice as illegal. Society is also filled with negative preconceptions about proselytisation and Christianity which are unintended consequences of a long-time abolished Maoist policy of freeing China from foreign religious influence. Surprisingly, however, some netizens have moderate or even positive views about proselytisation and/or Christianity.