World’s largest bible factory publishes 125 millionth copy in China

Christianity is fastest-growing religion in China with up to 100 million followers.

Beijing:  The world’s largest bible factory, operated by the Amity Foundation in Nanjing, has just published its 125 millionth copy amid a surge in demand in China over the past decade.

Just two years after recording its 100 millionth bible, Amity has now sold 65.7 million copies in Chinese languages and exported 59.3 million to 70 countries.

“This year we will see even more bibles printed compared to the past year,” Amity’s General Manager Liu Lei said on Friday.

Amity’s factory, a joint venture with United Bible Societies, is the only state-sanctioned bible publisher for China’s domestic market although small underground printers do exist along with a handful of export-only factories.

Amity began exporting bibles in 2003, accelerating production after 2008 when it moved into a new factory in Nanjing, the world’s largest bible production facility.

The exact number of bibles Amity publishes remains undisclosed and contradictory, however.

Although Liu said there had been double-digit growth in bible sales in China in recent years, a graph published by Amity last month showed that domestic volumes fell in 2012 and 2013.

Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in China with up to 100 million followers including 12 million to 21 million Catholics.

Source: ucanews.com