In order to further promote the process of sinicization in China and to explain the teachings of the doctrine in line with the requirements of the progress and development of the times, Fujian Christian Council & Three-Self Patriotic Movement(CC&TSPM) recently held a conference on indigenous sacred music editing and publishing.
According to Fujian CC&TSPM, both church and non-church experts and scholars as well as chief artists who have created sacred music were invited to revise the "Minnan Hymn" so as to have strong local characteristics of Fujian.
It is agreed that the "Minnan Hymn" are the product of an indigenization movement of Chinese Christianity. However, because the "Minnan Hymn" has been circulating for more than a hundred years and the times, the culture, the language, and the writing system have undergone many changes during that time, they need further study and revision in order to meet the needs of the church's teaching in this new era. They have become the common aspiration of the Christian community in Fujian province.
It is known that the psalm collection contains phonetic romanization that is used today in the Minnan-speaking regions of Fujian, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, and that is part of the churches in those places. The appearance of the collection did not only promote the formation and development of the Minnan vernacular, but also promoted the development of Western music in the region. The collection comes from same source as the "Sacred Psalms" of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, which is an important clue in the study of the Christian relations between Fujian and Taiwan.
- Translated by Charlie Li
