﻿Hey! Hey, hey!
Attention! Attention!
All village leaders, report to the village committee!
Emergency meeting!
Hey, mayor, what is it?
Hey, hurry, hurry!
I'm here! I'm here!
Party Central just sent down another priority communique,
promoting the suppression of religion
and banishment of The Church of Almighty God
to the level of a critically urgent, laboriously important,
and massively crucial political task.
They sent another one? (They sent another one!)
Listen, as village leaders,
we need to actively respond,
and restrict the God believers that are in our village,
and make them give up their faith entirely.
If you wanna talk about how we limit believers,
we already have the five-household mutual surveillance,
cameras at the village entrance to identify strangers,
audio propaganda broadcasts, propaganda leaflets, rewards for reporting …
What else can we do?
Listen really, mayor!
For the few believers in God in our village,
we already assigned people to watch them,
especially Liu Ming'en's family.
The only thing we haven't done yet is move in with them. (That's right!)
Mayor, we've already tried everything!
And even then we can't stop them!
They're still secretly going to meetings and spreading the gospel.
This time, we have to obey the orders from above,
strengthen our efforts,
go to every house to make people sign statements
guaranteeing they don't believe in God.
If we can't find a way to make this happen,
not only will I lose my job as mayor,
you two could lose yours as well.
Mayor, the police arrest believers everywhere and still can't stop them.
How are we supposed to stop them?
I'm telling you—(That's right!)
Take Liu Ming'en for example.
He spent 7 years in jail, and suffered so much,
and he didn't give up his faith.
What else do they expect us to do against them?
Yeah. (There's nothing.)
Party Central demands no believers in the villages,
and that everyone follow the Party.
Even if there's no way, we have to find a way to stop them.
What kind of way is there?
We've tried everything there is!
Yeah, I mean what are they expecting from us, I mean. (They're making our jobs impossible!)
Come on, this is just like—(Enough!)
Both of you, stop complaining.
We don't have much time, so split up and get to work!
Fine. OK.
M … m … m … mayor, mayor! (You startled me!)
What is it? (There's a … stranger at L … L … Liu Ming'en's house!)
I'm 90 percent positive … (What?)
You're positive of what? (That it's a believer in God!)
This Liu Ming'en, I swear, really is a godized person!
Hey, you two, go over that way.
Yuan Hua, come on.
Let's go see what's going on!
Come on. Let's go. Hey, come on. Come on.
Hey, oh my wife should really be home by this time.
Who is it?
It's me, Hu.
Oh, you're here! (Oh, mayor!)
Mr. Liu, what are you doing today?
Your door was closed in the middle of the day,
I hope you're not reading your religious books again!
The police already confiscated all my religious books.
And you are well aware of that.
Then have you had any contact with believers in God lately?
With that huge camera at the village entrance,
and the "care" I get from you visiting almost once a day,
what believer would dare to ever visit my house? (Yeah.)
I don't have much choice, you know.
When you work for the Communist Party, you have to do what it says. (Yeah!)
Mr. Liu, the government sends me one communique after another
demanding that we suppress religious faith.
They especially demand that we banish The Church of Almighty God.
I suggest you take my advice and stop believing in God.
Yes, you should stop believing!
The CCP will never let believers in God go free.
Really, if you were to get arrested again,
it will not be as simple as 7 years next time! (Seven years!)
Hey, did someone come to your house just a minute ago?
Yes, that's right.
Where are they?
Who are they?
That was my niece. My wife took her to see the doctor.
Your niece? To the doctor?
Hey, mayor,
you come to my house almost once a day.
Doesn't the committee have better things to do?
You know, we don't actually want to come.
But these are orders from above.
We have to prioritize monitoring believers in God.
We don't have any choice in this!
Mr. Liu, the police have informed us
that after you believers in God leave jail,
you are not allowed to turn your phones off,
stop paying your bill, or change your number,
and for a year you can't leave the village.
You have to be available when we call,
and report back to the police station every month.
Hey, hey, and,
you have to turn in ideological reports. (Remember to report on time.)
Isn't this turning my home into a prison and limiting my personal freedom?
What law did I break?
You treat me as a criminal just because I believe in God?
It's no use telling me all this.
I'm just the mayor of a little village.
I have to do whatever my superiors tell me. (That's right.)
And you know very well,
the Communist Party are atheists.
If they forbid belief in God, what can we do?
We can't do anything.
In China, the Communist Party is in charge.
If you want to survive here,
it's best to obey their policy.
Mr. Liu, an old saying puts it best,
"Take off what shoes you must to cross the river,
sing what songs you must to cross the mountain."
At this point in time, we need to obey the Communist Party.
So please, listen to us, and stop believing in God.
Stop believing in God, huh?
We believers in God pursue the truth
and walk the correct path in life.
Why does the Communist Party always try to limit us?
Today, there are corrupt officials everywhere,
evildoers run amok, and every industry is in chaos.
Ordinary people can hardly get along,
and the Communist Party doesn't do anything about it.
What is that if not neglect of their duty? (This …)
What? Neglect of their duty?
To the Communist Party,
protecting their own power is the most important thing.
And there are more and more of you believers in God.
Exactly.
There are almost more of you than there are Party members.
Why wouldn't the Party try to limit you?
Why wouldn't they?
If you want to believe in God in China, they won't give you—
any way through.
Ma'am, you're back. (Mayor Hu.)
What are you two doing here again?
Ma'am, we're just here to visit you.
Just to visit you!
Hey, I heard your niece came to visit. Where is she?
She left after she saw the doctor.
Mayor, really,
even when my relatives visit,
you need to check up on us?
It's because I care about you!
That's right, we care!
If you keep associating with believers in God,
you'll be arrested again.
Right.
We're fellow villagers,
and we need to take care of each other, yeah?
Then thank you so much for "caring."
You …
Mayor, you've investigated and asked your questions.
Is there anything else you need? (You …)
When is it ever that easy?
This time, the provincial security department ordered
all county, township, and village leaders to personally go out
and ensure every person in every household signs a letter,
promising not to believe in God.
Hey, here. You'll have to sign it too.
Do it and avoid the trouble. (Sign it and we're finished, OK?)
Mr. Liu, here, sign it!
Mayor,
if I put my signature on that, I'm betraying God.
I absolutely refuse to sign.
Spare me the speeches! OK?
The fact of the matter is, you have to sign this paper,
or else, the police will arrest both of you!
We're begging you, don't be so stubborn.
Just sign the paper, then believe in secret.
No one will know.
That's right. Ma'am, here.
Director Yuan,
I'm sorry, but we won't be signing this.
You might as well stop asking us.
I know you both have very busy jobs,
so you'd best get back to it. (Oh, ma'am …)
You're really going to make this hard on yourselves, aren't you?
The only ones who'll suffer for your stubbornness is you!
Exactly!
Listen, I'm leaving the letter here.
Think long and hard about this.
Long and hard!
Yuan Hua, let's go!
More stubborn than a pile of rocks!
See you later, goodbye!
These people …
Nothing but the CCP's running dogs!
Look at this! Look at this!
Everything in this resists and blasphemes against God.
They're forcing us to sign this piece of paper and in doing so betray God.
The CCP will try anything within their power to make us give up our faith!
It's despicable! It's evil what they're doing!
Really is.
I remember, it says in God's word,
God's word also says,
To eliminate those with religious belief,
the CCP locks up China tighter than a safe,
so tight not even needles or water can get in!
Exactly!
From the center to local governments,
they all wildly resist God,
so that even a village mayor
considers eliminating religious belief his most important job.
China really is a city full of demons!
Yes, it is.
It's even impossible
for Christians to sit in peace and read God's word or go to meetings!
How many of our brothers and sisters have been arrested?
How many of them have been beaten to death or crippled?
How many families have been torn apart?
The CCP is nothing but wicked!
Well, without experiencing this persecution and hardship,
we would never be able to see the CCP's demonic essence of resisting God,
and never be able to loathe it with all our hearts.
That's true.
The CCP oppresses us this way, and asks us to betray God,
but they don't imagine
that them doing this only hardens our determination
to turn toward the light and pursue the truth.
Thanks be to God!
God uses the great red dragon's service to perfect our faith in God and our love.
At times like this, we should all the more rely on God and follow God to the end!
Amen!
Hey, won't Hui be back soon?
Oh yeah. I'll go make dinner.
Go ahead.
Mayor, what are we going to do about Liu Ming'en?
We have to think of something.
Mayor, isn't that his daughter?
Hey, I have an idea! Go!
Hi, Hui! You're back so early today.
Mrs. Yuan, Mr. Hu.
Hui. (What do you want?)
It's about your parents believing in God. (Yeah.)
You need to talk to them.
Tell them to stop believing, OK?
Hui,
you were fired from your last job
because your parents continued to believe in God,
and I know it wasn't easy to find a new one.
If you're fired again,
how will you ever find someone else to hire you?
Your whole life will be ruined!
Yeah!
Mrs. Yuan, it's not against the law or a crime to believe in God,
but the Communist Party arrested my father and put him in jail,
and forced my company to fire me.
And now you're still causing problems for my parents.
Why won't you let us live?
Oh no, Hui,
you really don't understand the Communist Party. (Right.)
Believing in God instead of the Party is one of the Party's major taboos.
Party Central sent down the order to eliminate religious faith.
That means when they arrest believers,
they can torment them to death.
Torment them to death? (Absolutely.)
Oh what, you don't believe me?
They're killing people over this!
You think that stops them?
Remember the Cultural Revolution or the June Fourth Incident?
Those were intellectuals, pillars of the nation,
and they were killed just the same.
And what a shame!
Ordinary little people like us, what do we count for?
The Communist Party is a revolutionary party,
those who obey get ahead, those who don't die!
To the Communist Party, the number of dead is just a statistic.
Hui,
I watched you grow up.
I'm only saying all this for your own good.
You're not a little girl anymore.
You need to think about what's best for your family.
Listen Hui, you know that the mayor is absolutely right.
If your parents keep believing in God,
never mind just losing your job,
your husband might even lose his job.
Yeah!
The most important thing here is your parents.
They might be arrested.
If that happens,
there is no saying if they'll come out of jail alive.
But …
Hui, do you know the Communist Party policy toward believers in Almighty God?
Beating them to death is nothing to them!
Yeah!
Think about your father.
He was arrested for believing in God.
In jail they nearly crippled him.
They broke several of his ribs.
He's still suffering from those wounds, isn't he?
Hui, I know that you're a respectful child,
but stopping them from believing in God is for their own good.
It's for all of your own good!
You understand what I'm saying, don't you?
It's for the best.
Hello?
What? Wang Zhizhong won't sign either?
Another faithful believer in God!
Alright, fine! I'll be right over!
Think about your parents' age.
If anything happens to them, what then?
Hui, you need to think about it, what could happen to your parents.
Make sure it doesn't!
Think hard about this! And talk to your parents about it!
You—(Right, there's one more thing.)
I left a letter when we paid your parents a visit.
When you go home, you better talk to them,
and make sure they sign the letter, OK?
Make them sign it, trust me on this, OK?
Hey, hey, let's go! Hurry!
Trust me on this!
Dad, Mom …
Hui, you're back.
I am.
Hui, what's the matter?
Come Hui, you look like you're in a bad mood.
Mom, Dad, can you please stop believing in God?
Believing in God is good,
but the Communist Party persecution of believers gets worse and worse.
Some things are too strong for us to fight.
Hui …
You've always supported our belief in God.
Tell us, what happened today?
Yeah, why are you suddenly saying this?
Hey, darling.
Dad!
Hui!
Mom!
I'm really worried about you.
The government arrests believers and … and torments them to death.
The lives of ordinary people like us matter less than a blade of grass
to this atheist government.
When Dad was arrested last time,
you know what the police did to him.
If he's arrested again …
I don't dare think about what could happen.
Hui …
Mom, Dad,
it's too dangerous to believe in God in China.
You could be arrested at any time,
and it could cost you your life.
Stop believing. Please.
Honey …
Hui, I know you're worried about us.
Here. Don't worry.
Even though the CCP wants to torment believers in God to death,
people's lives are in God's hands.
God controls everything.
No one takes it without God's permission.
And you've seen, your mom and I
have believed in God for so many years, and we've always been persecuted by the CCP.
But by relying on God, haven't we got through everything?
Right.
Hui, even though you don't believe in God,
you know God exists.
People were created by God.
We believe in God just like children are faithful to their parents.
It's just natural.
Everything we have was granted to us by God.
You've even seen,
the last few years, all the blessings we've received from God.
How could we betray God now just because of the CCP's persecution?
Mom, I remember all of that.
I'm not asking you not to believe, I'm just worried—(Yes?)
Hello? Hello?
Attention! Attention!
Those of you in the village who believe in God,
don't be too stubborn!
Just sign the letters!
This afternoon is the final deadline!
If you don't sign, the police will arrest you!
Once you sign, bring your letters to the village committee!
Goodness! They really won't leave believers in God any room to breathe!
Darling …
Darling, we have to go now. (Hello?)
Hello? Hui.
How is your ideological work with your parents going? (It's the only choice we have.)
Mayor, you're as clear as I am about my parents' attitude.
Stop trying to force them!
You … your family …
You really don't appreciate what I do for you!
Then here's what I'm telling you, the police are on their way!
You can explain it to the police!
No!
Dad, Mom, you didn't sign the letter, (What?)
and the mayor said the police are coming to arrest you!
Go somewhere and hide!
Hui, your mom and I thought about this.
We'll leave the village, and continue our faith there while we work.
You'll leave the village?
Yeah. Honey, you've seen it too.
The mayor comes to our house almost once a day with questions.
The police arrest with no warning or remorse.
Never mind believing in God for us at home,
right now, even just living a normal life here is impossible.
Right.
But …
This is the only way.
Darling, let's go pack our bags.
I'll go do it.
Mom … (Oh, honey, listen.)
If the mayor comes to ask about our belief again,
just tell them,
my parents are their own people, I'm my own person.
Go ask them about their affairs yourself.
Dad …
Honey, listen to your dad.
If you say that, it will implicate you less, OK?
Mom, wait.
Darling …
Oh, the money …
Mom. (I don't want …)
Mom, take this money.
Just send me a letter once you get there
to let me know you and Dad made it there alright.
Mom, you need to go!
Go! (Hui …)
Leave now! (Take care of yourselves.)
Chief, this is the place!
Search it!
Liu Ming'en!
What are you doing?
Get out of my way!
You can't …
Chief, they're not here. They probably ran.
Ran?
Outside teams, Liu Ming'en is on the run, find him!
Where did your parents go?
I don't know.
Will you talk or not?
Tell me now!
What the hell! I told you to talk!
Handcuff her!
Hey, chief, she's not a believer.
Why are you arresting me?
Behave yourself! (Isn't this a country of laws?)
Stop wasting your breath!
If we don't arrest you,
how do you expect us to get your parents?
Take her away!
Go!
You're nothing but monsters!
Let's go! To the next house!
Ah, chief …