Chinese Ministry cancels Christian concert amid religious fears

Authorities have forced a leading Chinese chorus to cancel a concert on Saturday for Christian-themed music at the Zhongshan Music Hall in central Beijing. The conductor, Su, said orchestra managers refused to tell him the reason given for the cancellation by the ministry.

The concert was supposed to include an "Easter Chorus," written by a Chinese-born Canadian and based on Bible stories. The composer of "Easter Chorus," Huang Anlun, expressed surprise at the cancellation. "I don't understand why they would cancel the concert," he said. "It doesn't involve any political issues."

Phone calls to enquire as to the reason for cancellation to the ministry were not answered. A woman that answered the phone at the Zhongshan Concert Hall announced the concert's cancellation.

Su was told by the head of the chorus of the China National Orchestra the day before the performance that they could not perform, as ordered by the Ministry of Culture.

Su works for the Hebei Orchestra in Hebei, the populous province that surrounds Beijing. He converted to Christianity in 1996. He is a conductor for another Chinese orchestra and was working with the Beijing chorus for the first time for this concert. Su led Handel's "Messiah" last year in the cities of Guangzhou in China's south and Qingdao in the east. He said both concerts were first cancelled by local officials and then reinstated.

Despite the withdrawal of the chorus, Su said he asked the musicians to show up anyway and possibly perform outside the concert hall.

Millions of Chinese have turned to Christianity in recent years in a search for spiritual meaning amid economic and social upheaval. China, a country of 1.3 billion people has 14 million believers in its official Protestant and Catholic churches. China's Communist government, although officially atheist, allows worship in government-monitored churches.

Public religious and cultural activities require government permits. But some officials are believed to be uneasy about allowing believers to publicly promote a religion that they worry might erode Communist control and possibly spread foreign influence in China.

Authorities are struggling to control underground Christian churches, whose popularity has been surging. Religious scholars abroad also say there are as many as 60 million Christians in underground churches. Clergy and members of underground churches, if found are often harrassed or detained by police.