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A lot of you don’t have a chance to go to a Chinese church on Christmas Eve—this is what it is like.
Learn more about: Todd Hanson
I've been teaching in China since 1991--in Sichuan since 1994.
Chinese Police Block Access to Church on Christmas Eve!
Todd Hanson
December 25, 2011
Filed in: photostories
Road block
One and a half hours before the Christmas Eve service was scheduled to start, the road leading to the church was blocked off at both ends of the block. When I asked the officer in the truck if it was a Christmas Eve issue, he said that it was. Sorry for the misleading headline--traffic police closed the street to vehicular traffic solely as a safety measure prompted by the huge size of the anticipated audience at the Christmas service.
Schedule
Five services were scheduled over the weekend.
Early arrivers
I arrived 90 minutes early to get a good seat. Kind of. I set up a folding chair under the TV set up in the balcony that allowed people sitting at the back of the balcony to see what was going on on the platform.
Picture takers
Picture takers 2
Choir
At 7:00, a recording of church bells played, and then the choir began to sing.
Balcony crowd
Once things started, people sitting at the back of the balcony abandoned their seats.
Hallelujah Chorus
I was puzzled when the director asked everyone to stand without telling us what we were supposed to sing. When we stood, the choir launched into the Hallelujah Chorus.
Mary in the wings
Meanwhile, Mary waited offstage.
"Jesus my Lord"
An interpretive dance, with a singer and erhu and hulusi accompaniment.
Instrumentalists
Nativity
Nativity
Nativity
Nativity
Cici and Jack are both 8 years old, in grade 2. They have English class 40 minutes every weekday and go to weekend classes, too
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