An online video of a Chinese mother of eight outside in winter in China's Jiangsu Province caused massive outrage on the Internet. In the video released on January 28, a woman was chained to a hut in the cold weather near zero degrees Celsius, wearing only light clothes and speaking with a lisp. Netizens said that the woman was insane and gave birth to eight children in Xuzhou. It is said that the woman was picked up by the grandfather of eight children in 1998, and the father of the children said in the video that he wanted to find the woman's family.
The woman who was claimed to be a beggar on the streets in 1998, was trafficked from her hometown of Yagu Village in Fugong County in Yunnan Province to marry the then 30-something husband surnamed Dong in Fenghua County, according to local authorities.
An official statement issued Thursday night said the husband of the woman who name is Xiao Huamei, had been detained along with other two persons, suspected of illegally detaining and trafficking a woman after posting the video on China's social media.
Many Christians have commented on this controversial event.
A Christian from Heze, Shandong Province said, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province is adjacent to his hometown of Heze. It was inconceivable that there was such a dark evil hidden just one step away from his hometown.
Another Christian was full of worries about the eight children. "It is easy for the bad guys to be punished, and I believe the government will tell us the truth, but who will raise these eight poor children in the end?"
Some commented that the church often emphasized mission, but seldom faced the spirituality of an ethnic group and survival or death, which was worthy of the church's deliberation and attention.
Another Christian shared, "I have found that this is not an individual case, but a common phenomenon in many places. The case happened in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, which is already a relatively developed place. There are similar things in the remote and poor northwest China and the economically developed east coast, the backward villages and the civilized and affluent cities. Therefore, this is a chronic problem in a society. This problem includes polarization between the rich and the poor, extreme values, vulgarization of morality and complete degradation of human nature. Therefore, I thought that it is not just a single social problem, but a spiritual problem of the whole ethnic group related to people's faith and spirituality, which includes the social aspect. As such, only Christians and churches can face it correctly and put forward some real solutions."
“When we condemn the inhumanity suffered by the mother of eight in Fengxian, Xuzhou, we as Christians should also examine our responsibilities in these matters. Many Christians live their own lives and mistakenly think that the Christian faith has nothing to do with everyday life and does not have the warmth and concern for life. We tend to only care about personal salvation, regardless of the heinous crimes in the world. Therefore, in Feng County, Xuzhou, where churches are said to be all over the county, the chained mother emerged under the eyes of the church and was swallowed up by the darkness. The church had no voice, no condemnation, no protest, no sigh, no rescue, and no cry. It's not just the church in Fengxian county, but all cities in China. If the China churches are still silent in the face of countless chained mothers, still wise as serpents, still afraid to carry their own cross and follow the Lord Jesus, then they will spit out from the Lord's mouth," said a Christian.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
