Editor’s note: Kunming is called the Spring City because of its year-round pleasant and temperate climate. The city of 7 million is located in the mountains of southwest China, not far from the borders of Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Yunnan Province (where Kunming is located) is home to a large share of China’s minority groups, many of whom are often seen on the streets of the city. Kunming is known as a pleasant and laid-back place to live, renowned for its physical beauty and easygoing pace of life.

Wu Yexin: My church is not very large, but we have several different pastors, each serving a different location.
Ou’yang Qiang: I’ve been a believer for about 20 years. Most of that time, I’ve been serving in full-time ministry. I started serving in a charismatic church, but then studied Reformed theology. We started a new church plant about 10 years ago that now has about 30 members. I have three children.
Guan Ju: I am an elder, leading a small group in a newer part of Kunming. I’ve been involved in church planting for almost six years. My wife and I don’t have any children.
Huang Gudai: I became a Christian at the church where I serve as a preacher. My wife and I have two children, and we are all Kunming natives.

A Long Missionary History

China Partnership: What is unique about Kunming among other Chinese cities? What is special about the city’s local culture? What is unique about Kunming’s gospel history?

Wu Yexin: Kunming’s gospel history is relatively long. The gospel flourished here for 20 years, from the 1990s to around 2012. The reason for this was the arrival of many foreign missionaries in Kunming. Many, myself included, came to faith under these missionaries. Later, they also helped local churches.

There are far fewer young people than in the past. Most churches mainly serve the elderly. Student ministries have stopped, and are impossible.

Now, because of recent changes in China, these missionaries have left. Local Chinese pastors now undertake this work.

Kunming itself is a mid-sized city. Compared to other Chinese cities, Kunming is relatively culturally backward. Each church in Kunming is looking for its own way forward.

Now, the biggest concern is there are far fewer young people than in the past. Most churches mainly serve the elderly. Student ministries have stopped, and are impossible to do. Pray for gospel revival in Kunming!

“Lukewarm”

Ou’yang Qiang: Kunming is Yunnan Province’s largest city. Kunming has a culture of ethnic minorities and of outsiders. Because Yunnan Province has 25 ethnic minorities[1], many of those minorities come to Kunming to find work. Many others, from other provinces or even other countries, come here to travel – they stay awhile, then leave. Kunming is a transit hub for tourism. Kunming’s permanent resident population is a total of 7 million: about 3 million locals, and 4 million from other places.

Kunming is lukewarm. It’s kind of like Laodicea, neither hot nor cold. No matter what you do, the pace isn’t very fast. The result is, when the gospel comes to this city, the gospel is also lukewarm. People aren’t very eager for theological lectures or training, but they don’t reject it, either. They listen and watch, but they don’t reject or fully accept.

The crisis lies in the Spring City’s slow pace. People’s gospel thirst doesn’t seem very strong.

This affects not only the gospel, but also business investments and commercial culture. Because Kunming is a tourist city, it’s more tolerant. Before the pandemic, many overseas organizations used Kunming as a training location. Many organizations came here to train preachers. It seemed like everyone allowed it. But after the pandemic, policies tightened. Many of these training organizations and short-term training teams could not stay long-term, and had to quickly return to their own place.

As for recent history, after 1978 and the Cultural Revolution, hidden house church preachers began to openly preach the gospel and establish house churches. Later, as businesspeople from other provinces came here to do business, they established churches for people from other provinces. They came to Yunnan to do business, but also brought the gospel.

In Kunming, churches are not united. They each do their own thing, and do not interact much. Presbyterians and Baptists might greet each other, but there’s no deep collaboration. It’s even harder to have unity with others, such as charismatic groups. People aren’t willing to work together for the gospel. There is a lot [of ministry] going on in Kunming, but everyone is disunited.

A Slow Pace

Guan Ju: Kunming has both potential and crisis. The crisis lies in the Spring City’s slow pace. People’s gospel thirst doesn’t seem very strong. Many churches are not connected, not in gospel coordination.

Now, some pastors are studying together. We are discussing whether, after we finish studying, we can serve as a liaison to local churches, so Kunming churches can ally to expand the gospel. This is the potential.

The crisis is in Kunming’s culture and context. Also, there are many outsiders. Right now, another crisis is with student groups and young people. Recently, because of our church’s generation gap, I’ve been praying and have begun asking the Lord to guide some young people to church. It seems God has started to answer my prayers and bring them.

Kunming is known as the Spring City, with spring-like weather all year round. In Kunming, there is no need for air conditioning or for heat. Kunming people say, “Home is best.””

We can ask the Lord to raise up core churches willing to serve in Kunming or throughout Yunnan Province. We can pray churches will be able to form an alliance to better spread the gospel. If we unite – if God does this work – then, under God’s guidance, the gospel will expand in Kunming and in Yunnan Province.

The cultural background of the city is lukewarm. Theologically, Kunming and Yunnan churches have not been Reformed. If churches can have sound doctrine and are gospel-centered, I believe God will do marvelous work in this city.

China’s Most Livable City

Huang Gudai: Kunming is known as the Spring City, with spring-like weather all year round. In Kunming, there is no need for air conditioning or for heat. Kunming people say, “Home is best.” Even when we go elsewhere, we still think Kunming is best. In the past few years, it has been rated as [one of] China’s most livable cities.

Historically, Kunming has been considered a frontier region. There aren’t actually many ethnic minorities who are native to Kunming. Most Han Chinese in Kunming are descendants of the armies who were sent to guard the frontier throughout the dynasties. Kunming is very inclusive.

Throughout history, missionaries have also used Kunming as a starting point to enter frontier ethnic minorities areas. James Fraser served [the Lisu people] in Baoshan, and Samuel Pollard served [the Miao people] in Zhaotong. Both these pastors eventually died in the places they served. Now, among the Miao and Lisu people, in remote mountain places where roads are barely accessible, there are Christian gatherings. But their faith has become more formal, just a tradition. We hope for a renewal of the gospel.

Whenever there is war or unrest, Kunming has historically been the city that receives the most refugees. It’s a very inclusive, accepting place.

For Kunming people, atheism isn’t really the mainstream belief. It’s just that everyone has different beliefs. There is room for discussion regarding belief in God. There are many, many people who haven’t yet heard the gospel.

[1] There are many different people groups in China with their own distinct languages and cultures. In China, the majority of people are Han Chinese. Other than Han, the government has officially recognized 55 other distinct minority groups, although many experts believe there are far more, as some of these people groups contain multiple different peoples.

Wu Yexin, Ou’yang Qiang, Guan Ju, and Huang Gudai are pseudonyms for preachers and leaders at house churches in the southwest China city of Kunming.

Pray for Kunming to become passionate for Christ, not lukewarm about the Lord.