Chinese evangelists flourish in Paris

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Ensconced in an unassuming hotel behind the main drag of Paris' Belleville district, 100 or so Chinese believers sing and sway, eyes closed and arms out, in a display of worship frowned upon in their atheist home country.

With rules on immigration easing on mainland Chinese coming to study and work in France, many are seeking out churches in Paris to ward off their feelings of isolation in a foreign land.

"There are a lot of students coming over from mainland China who feel lonely due to the language barrier, and seem to be searching for something," said an assistant at Paris' Chinese Evangelical Church surnamed Lee.

"A lot come to us to see if they can accept religion into their lives," said Lee, who left Taiwan for France in the 1960s. the rest