NANJING'S AMITY PRINTING COMPANY WORLD'S LARGEST BIBLE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SHANGHAI 000374 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL/IRF NSC FOR LOI E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/5/2018 TAGS: CH KIRF PGOV PHUM SOCI SUBJECT: NANJING'S AMITY PRINTING COMPANY WORLD'S LARGEST BIBLE PUBLISHER, AMITY FOUNDATION A SOPHISTICATED NGO REF: A. A) 2006 SHANGHAI 7086 ¶B. B) 2004 SHANGHAI 3118 CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Beede, Political/Economic Section Chief, U.S. Consulate General, Shanghai, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: With its recent move to a larger facility, the Amity Printing Company in Nanjing will increase its production of Bibles to over 12 million volumes annually, cementing its position as the world's largest Bible publisher. Among other successes, Amity Printing was commissioned by Beijing to produce a limited run of 100,000 Bibles for the Olympics. Meanwhile, the company's NGO parent, the Amity Foundation, continues to take a sophisticated approach to social development in China. Partnering with international organizations and Christian social groups to conduct experimental programs at home and overseas, the Foundation lobbies Beijing for permission to expand, or to import to China, those programs that prove successful. The Amity Foundation believes that the May 12 Sichuan earthquake, and the widespread desire among Chinese to project a good international image of their society in advance of the Olympics, drew attention to social issues in China and to the idea of private giving. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On August 14, Poloffs toured the new site of the Amity Printing Company in Nanjing, and met with Amity representatives for an update (see reftels) on the activities of the publisher and its parent non-governmental organization (NGO),The Amity Foundation. Our principal interlocutors were: Li Chunnong, General Manager, Amity Printing Company; and She Hongyu, Assistant Director, Research and Development Centre, The Amity Foundation. GETTING "THE WORD" OUT -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Li Chunnong explains that Amity Printing Company was established in 1988 to print Bibles and other church-related publications, focusing on domestic Chinese Christian needs. A joint venture between The Amity Foundation (detailed below) and the United Bible Societies (UBS),the company has published, to date, a total of 46 million Bibles for domestic consumption, in standard Chinese as well as in eight Chinese minority languages. Amity Printing also manufactures Bibles in nearly 70 languages for export to over 60 countries. Touring the printing facility, Poloffs observed countless acre-feet of ready-to-ship bibles in a wide variety of styles, and languages ranging from Afrikaans to Zulu. ¶4. (SBU) Li reports that, in addition to standard issue Bibles, Amity Printing produces a number of specialty editions. ONE unique item is a 32-volume Braille Bible which Amity offers to anyone with this special need at the symbolic rate of 1 RMB (about 15 cents). Other key publications include textbooks for seminaries, Christian hymnbooks, and brochures intended to raise awareness of HEALTH and social issues. Li showed Poloffs ONE brochure entitled "An Introduction to HIV/AIDS, with the Gospel of Luke," remarking that most of the pamphlets reference the Bible in some way. ¶5. (SBU) In terms of getting the newly-printed Bibles into the hands of Chinese believers, Li acknowledges that Amity Printing is only the first leg in the chain. The China Christian Council (CCC) -- the government-affiliated entity that oversees China's "official" church, and with which Amity has a close relationship -- controls domestic Chinese distribution, operating 70 centers nationwide from which Bibles are sent to approximately 55,000 approved churches and meeting places. AMITY'S EXODUS -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Li confirms that Amity Printing's transition this past spring to its current, larger facility in the Nanjing suburbs went smoothly. Amity staggered the move over a two-month period and hired special engineers to transport and reinstall the printing equipment, so the transition had virtually no impact on production. Li reports the newly increased capacity has meant that Amity was able to add four state-of-the-art publishing machines, each capable of producing 10,000 Bibles daily, to its SHANGHAI 00000374 002 OF 003 previous two. These will allow the company to raise its output to more than 12 million Bibles annually. Li further notes the publisher has no plans to seek new markets for its Bibles since Amity is already producing at full capacity. OLYMPIC BIBLES -------------- ¶7. (C) Li reports Amity was commissioned by the CCC to produce a limited run of 100,000 Bibles for the Beijing Olympics. Printed in both Chinese and English, only some 40,000 of these were the full Bible, while the rest were actually a compendium of the New Testament books. Li believes the Chinese Government was anxious to provide Bibles to Olympics athletes and fans, "as tradition dictates." Li understands that 30,000 of the full Bibles were slated for distribution to churches around Beijing, and the other 10,000 for unspecified "free distribution" to visitors. Still, Li considers the order for 100,000 Bibles "rather large," and admits he is not certain where the remainder wound up. (Note: Some Olympic Bibles were distributed at Sunday service in Shanghai churches during August, including at the Patriotic Catholic Church's international community parish mass. Shanghai was host to several men's and women's Olympics soccer games. End note.) AMITY FOUNDATION -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Amity Foundation, meanwhile, was founded in 1985 to promote social welfare, education, HEALTH and hygiene, and rural development in China, She Hongyu explains. Despite its links with Christian organizations in the West, the Foundation operates on the premise that "the people of China must take primary responsibility for improving their society," and that a Christian NGO is uniquely equipped to take the lead. ¶9. (C) She describes a wide range of activities that constitute the Foundation's mission. ONE program in Butuo County, Sichuan Province, and operated in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity, helps replace unstable mud huts with brick residences. On the health care front, the Foundation targets the rural poor -- with special focuses on the deaf and blind, victims of leprosy and polio, and recovering drug addicts -- by building rural clinics, training medical practitioners, and dispatching mobile surgical clinics to the far-flung regions of Tibet, Gansu, and Ningxia. Other notable programs include Amity's support for 60 rural orphanages, providing early childhood care for the visually impaired, raising HIV/AIDS awareness, and mediating conflicts among the disabled. ¶10. (C) She reports that Amity also played a high profile role in the aftermath of recent natural disasters in China. During the brutal snowstorms that affected central and southern China in January-February 2008, the Foundation sent several staff and relief supplies to Guizhou Province to provide emergency funding and over 1,000 blankets. Only five hours after the May 12 Sichuan earthquake struck, Amity dispatched personnel to that province to set up a relief distribution office there. ¶11. (C) Amity has adopted a sophisticated approach toward social development, paying close attention to which methodologies are likely to maximize effectiveness. She notes that, in providing rural HEALTH care, the Foundation maintains a sharp focus on "accessibility, accountability, and affordability," which, in Amity's experience, are the main drivers for achieving HEALTH improvements. Similarly, a large part of the Foundation's work with rural women and disadvantaged groups has been microfinance, since income generation programs have most significantly and noticeably improved the lives of poor Chinese, according to She. ¶12. (C) Amity often cooperates with individual Chinese churches, She notes, because many local churches are already familiar with the Foundation's activities. Additionally, Amity will sometimes partner with international organizations and Christian social groups to conduct experimental development programs at home and overseas. Evidence in hand, the Foundation then lobbies Beijing for permission to expand, or to import to China, those programs that prove successful. CHARITY WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS? -------------- ¶13. (C) The Amity Foundation has witnessed a significant change SHANGHAI 00000374 003 OF 003 in Chinese attitudes toward private philanthropy this year, in contrast to previous years (see reftel A),observes She. As of July, Amity had received contributions equivalent to 6 million RMB (about 850,000 USD). Many contributions originate in nearby Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. She also admits that a majority come from private companies, often in goods in kind. Still, a larger portion than usual has been individual donations made through local churches. This year, Amity has spent its contributions supporting Sichuan earthquake victims, and funding a Foundation center that helps young adults with mental and physical disabilities find job opportunities. ¶14. (C) Amity Printing's Li remarks that some Chinese journalists have recently written articles arguing that, with the outpouring of emotional and monetary support for the Sichuan earthquake victims, 2008 represents the start of civil society in China. She concurs that the idea of private giving has "become a hot topic" these days, and speculates that the Sichuan earthquake, and the widespread desire among Chinese to project a good international image of their society in advance of the Olympics, is responsible for having drawn attention to social issues in China. At the same time, She admits a large part of the donations the Foundation has received this year were collected in the immediate wake of the earthquake, raising questions about how sustainable Chinese attention will be. COMMENT -------------- ¶15. (C) Both Li and She agree that, in the mid- to long-term, Amity will need to think hard about how it can continue to attract donors, increase project effectiveness, and enhance organizational transparency. Though too soon to tell, the Olympics and the Sichuan earthquake may at least provide the springboard towards a more sustained tradition of charity in China. SCHUCHAT