[originaltext]M: Mrs. White, shall we start with some basic facts and figures?

M: Mrs. White, shall we start with some basic facts and figures?
W: Good idea.
M: How many Christians are now living in China?
W: The number is 15 million in China. But when we say Christians, we basically refer to Protestants, not Catholics. So we have 15 million Protestants.
M: Where are they distributed in the country? Are there many in coastal areas?
W: Yes, because most of the Chinese population live along the east coast, therefore most Christians are in this area.
M: You mentioned Protestants and Catholics. Are there more Protestants than Catholics in China or the other way round?
W: Yes, indeed. There are far more Protestants than Catholics in China.
M: Is there an increase of Catholics or Protestants? What is the general tendency?
W: I am not sure about the number of Catholics in China in 1949. But t know there were 700,000 Protestants in 1949, and now the total number is 15 million.
M: It is quite a rapid growth.
W: Yes, they grew really fast.
M: Can you tell us about your personal experience in terms of freedom of religious belief?.
W: For me, I don’t feel my religious conduct is restricted by any policies or anything else. I pray almost every Sunday in different churches in downtown Beijing. I teach courses in seminaries. I don’t feel at all restricted.