Also known as “Church of Almighty God,” the forbidden religious group keeps attracting members, despite prosecution.
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To Long Daibing, his wife might as well be dead.
After she walked away from the family last year, Long, 47, at first did his utmost to find her, handing out flyers in nearby villages and reporting her missing to the police.
Their 21-year marriage had been good, and their family life with three children peaceful, Long says. But in 2017, his erstwhile illiterate wife began drawing and writing notes with misspelled characters about “God,” using an “S” instead of the Chinese shen. When police came to Long’s home in rural Chongqing, in southwestern China, they took these notes away, as well as a Bible-like book, and a cryptic farewell letter she had written addressed to her children.
On his phone, Long still has a picture of that letter. “Please tell your grandmother and your dad that, because the circumstances are evil, I’m leaving for now to hide from the circumstances. When the circumstances get better I’ll return,” Long says, reading the letter out loud. “Don’t look for me, it will be a waste of money. Don’t call the police. If anyone asks, tell them I don’t believe in God anymore, and that I’m away making money.”
Du Xinyu is a contributing writer at The World of Chinese.
