As of April 1, 2018, Chinese Holy Bibles are no longer available for sale online, as demanded by the Chinese government. Not a single Bible can be found in Chinese online stores, including Taobao, JD, Dangdang and Amazon.
Customers who had added a Bible to their shopping cart the day before are no longer able to complete their purchase. Only various “Bible stories” are still available for purchase.
The distribution of the Bible has always been restricted in China. Unlike the Quran and Buddhist Sutras, which are permitted to be freely sold both online and in brick-and-mortar bookstores, the Chinese Holy Bible is restricted to distribution solely by government-held churches.
The Bible cannot be obtained through public channels, such as bookstores. Moreover, only one printing company—the Jiangsu Amity Printing Company—is authorized to print the Bible, and the total number of Bibles printed each year is also severely restricted. Since 1987, the Episcopal Church of America has donated the royalties, paper and printing machines necessary for making the Bible affordable for Chinese citizens.
The standard Bible is less than $1 and is lightweight with excellent quality paper, printing, and binding.
As online shopping has become more and more accessible to distant cities over the past five years, some Christians started purchasing Bibles from government-held churches and selling them through online platforms.
These online sales have made the Bible more accessible for those in rural areas without access to government-held churches, as well as curious non-Christians who do not know where to purchase one. The government has never restricted the online sale of the Bibles until now. Charisma News.
