The Han Chinese are one of the 56 official nationalities of China. Within the Han Chinese are several languages, one of which is Mandarin. The name China stems from the Qin (Chin) Dynasty of 221-207 BC. The Chinese call their country Zhongguo, "The Middle Kingdom." (The larger Manchu population is included in the population of Han Chinese since nearly all of them have "ceased to be Manchus ethnically, linguistically, and culturally." - The Minorities of Northern China, p 149.)
The Wei Dynasty (AD 220-280): After the collapse of the Han Dynasty, China fell into almost 400 years of crippling war and internal conflict. The country was divided into three kingdoms. The Wei ruled areas north of the Yangtze.
The Chinese have invented numerous items throughout their long history, including paper and gunpowder.
Today the Mandarin Chinese are among the most powerful people in the world. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a world power, and they have an industrial economy. More Mandarin Chinese are moving to cities while their rural sector has become less important in their economy.
Christianity first made an impact on China in AD 635, when Nestorian Bishop Alopen arrived in China. "Bishop Alopen of the Kingdom of Ta'chin, bringing with him the sutras and images, has come from afar and presented them at our Capital. Having carefully examined the scope of his teaching, we find it to be mysteriously spiritual, and of silent operation. Having observed its principal and most essential points, we reached the conclusion that they cover all that is most important in life. This Teaching is helpful to all creatures and beneficial to all men. So let it have free course throughout the Empire."
By 638 the first church was built in Chang'an, and 21 Persian monks had commenced work in China. By the time missionaries were expelled from China in the 1950s, it is generally agreed there were no more than 750,000 Chinese Protestants across the nation. Since that time, China has experienced one of the greatest revivals in church history, with some eastern provinces experiencing continual growth for more than 30 years. Despite these great developments, hundreds of millions of Han Chinese today have yet to hear the name of Christ. A very wide range of estimates exist for the number of Christians in China today, from a lowest figure of 13.7 million, to widely used but unsupported figures of 90 to 110 million. We believe there are between 40 and 50 million Mandarin speaking Chinese believers in China today.
Mandarin Chinese people need the comfort of the Lord as they face rapid changes and increasing pressure to secularize. They have a government which is finding new ways to spy on their people; there will soon be nowhere to hide from an oppressive government.
Pray that the uncertainty of Chinese life will drive millions of Chinese people into the loving, comforting arms of Jesus Christ.
Pray for the Mandarin speaking churches to have the Holy Spirit empowerment to stand up under persecution.
Pray this will be a century of expansion of the gospel throughout China.
Pray for government officials to see the futility of fighting against the Living God and turn their lives over to Christ.
Scripture Prayers for the Han Chinese, Mandarin in China.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
