The Chinese Communist Party authorities openly set up an “Anti-Cult Alert Education Base” in the church

Unveiling an Anti-Cult Initiative in Jiangsu

(Jiangsu, China – December 16, 2024) In a rare move, an “Anti-Cult Alert Education Base” was unveiled and established in a Christian church in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. “Anti-Cult Alert Education Bases” have also been launched in regions such as Ningxia, Hebei, Hubei, Zhejiang, and Shanxi provinces.  

According to the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of Yancheng City, the “Anti-Cult Alert Education Base” was officially launched on October 25. The unveiling ceremony took place at where the base is set up, at the Yilin Christian Church in Yancheng City, Funing County.

The Unprecedented Church-Based Education Base

The establishment of an “Anti-Cult Alert Education Base” within a church setting is highly unusual. 

The Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of Yancheng City stated that creating the first Anti-Cult Alert Education Base within a religious venue (a Christian church) holds significant demonstrative value. Officials from various departments, including the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Yancheng City, United Front Work Department, the City’s Public Security Bureau, and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Funing County, Religious Affairs Bureau attended the ceremony. 

The report states that this initiative aims to respond to the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party and to implement the directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping regarding the specific embodiment of the spirit of national and provincial religious work conferences. It is described as a concrete step toward advancing education on national security within the religious sphere in Yancheng City.  

Huang Bin, an official from the city’s Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, emphasized that the religious community should extend anti-cult education into religious venues, communities, and families. Chen Yanyan, the head of the United Front Work Department in Funing County, stated that establishing this center addresses the urgent need to counter foreign Christian infiltration and curb illegal religious activities. The initiative is seen as a means to normalize anti-cult education efforts in the city’s religious sphere. 

Nationwide Expansion of Anti-Cult Education

“Anti-Cult Alert Education Bases” have been established in other parts of China. On October 16, an “anti-cult alert education” promotion event and unveiling ceremony for such a base was held at Ningxia University. Ningxia Autonomous Region has already established over ten anti-cult alert education bases, as well as anti-cult themed parks and public squares and other venues, to openly launch promotions to the public.  

On October 25, a ceremony to unveil an anti-cult education base and launch an anti-cult awareness week was held at the cultural square of Fengwa Guzhai Scenic Area in Xinzhou District, Wuhan, Hubei Province. Themed “Seeking Truth, Upholding Science, and Joining Forces Against Cults” the event featured banners promoting anti-cult propaganda displayed prominently around the venue. 

In Tangshan, Hebei Province, a comprehensive publicity campaign was conducted under the slogan “One Corridor per County, One Window per Township, One Wall per Village,” establishing widespread promotional platforms. These include anti-cult exhibition boards, slogan windows, and themed posters displayed in various locations. 

In Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, over 370 communities and 800 administrative villages have installed anti-cult alert bulletin boards. Public facilities, such as outdoor screens and electronic information boards, continuously broadcast anti-cult videos and advertisements. 

The Zhejiang authorities have organized a variety of activities, using creative and entertaining methods to present the information, aiming to capture public interest. In Zhejiang, activities featured humorous performances like Xiangsheng or cross-talk, Kuaiban or clapper talk, and Xiaorexun (a traditional comedic Wu dialect art form popular in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai regions). At the “Old Happy Teahouse” on the west bank of Gongchen Bridge in Hangzhou, these light-hearted formats were used to deliver anti-cult messages. 

In Shanxi Province’s Taiyuan City, “anti-cult” billboards have been installed at highway entrances, while Zuoyun County has launched a township-level “One Wall, One Window” project. Officials claim these initiatives aim to establish a comprehensive “anti-cult” propaganda network that spans both urban and rural areas. 

The Chinese government’s classification of the Local Churches into the “Shouters” has sparked protests from the Local Churches in Taiwan. The “Shouters” have been listed as a cult by police departments across China. Similarly, the designation of the “All Ranges Church” as a cult in 1988 has also been seen as controversial. These faith groups are listed on the online promotional platforms of an “Anti-Cult Alert Education Base” in Guangdong Province. 

Since the beginning of this year, the “anti-cult” departments in various regions of China have been deployed according to the arrangements of the relevant departments of the Ministry of Public Security of China. Officially, the goal is to use “anti-cult” education sites across society to conduct regular early education activities, promoting the socialization and normalization of “anti-cult” education. This initiative aims to instill deep-rooted awareness among the public to identify, discern, prevent, and reject cults. 

Evolution of Anti-Cult Campaigns

The establishment of “anti-cult alert education bases” began in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the Chinese government intensified its crackdown on organizations it classified as cults. To support its efforts against unofficial religious or grassroots spiritual groups, the government initiated widespread public campaigns. These campaigns sought to prevent citizens from joining such organizations and to diminish the groups’ influence. 

During the early publicity phase of the anti-cult alert education bases (1999–2005), efforts primarily focused on raising public awareness about the dangers of unauthorized religious and spiritual groups through media campaigns and community outreach. Although large-scale physical “anti-cult education bases” had not yet been established, widespread publicity laid the groundwork for future initiatives.  

In the pilot construction phase (2005–2015), some local governments began experimenting with the establishment of “anti-cult education bases” as part of trial programs. These bases were relatively simple in their operations, often relying on existing community cultural centers or exhibition halls as venues.  

During the comprehensive promotion phase (2015 to present), “Anti-Cult Alert Education Bases” have been progressively established across China, adopting increasingly diverse formats. These include multimedia displays, interactive activities, and experiential courses. Many bases have partnered with science and technology museums, leveraging modern technologies such as VR and AR to make anti-cult education more engaging and interactive. 

Local governments have allocated greater resources to these efforts, gradually integrating “anti-cult” promotions into the broader framework of social governance. With the establishment of the “National Anti-Cult Alert Education Base Alliance,” resource sharing and experience exchange among bases have been strengthened. This development has professionalized, systematized, and standardized anti-cult education initiatives.  

Controversies and Broader Implications

The atheist Chinese Communist Party does not permit any ideology that could challenge its rule, requiring all religious activities to receive government approval. In principle, the Chinese government prohibits all religious groups not officially registered with the authorities. All unregistered religious groups are deemed “illegal.” For well-established or widely recognized house churches, the government employs measures such as limited tolerance, restrictions, and occasional punitive actions to suppress their activities. 

However, for independent religious groups that are sizable or have international connections, when any of their teachings are deemed unorthodox, followers are perceived as lacking fundamental religious knowledge, or activities considered a threat to the official ideology may lead to these groups being labeled as cults. The Chinese Communist Party’s anti-cult efforts aim to achieve the ultimate goal of eradicating religion entirely, thereby solidifying government control. 

Given the challenges in defining “cult” and the controversies surrounding the term, academic circles are increasingly discarding this subjective label. Instead, they adopt the neutral term “new religious movements,” which lacks the pejorative connotations associated with “cult.” 

(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)