The geography of Hainan Island (海南島), which became a province of the People's Republic of China on April 26, 1988, is unique in two ways: 1) It is detached from the mainland of China; 2) Hainan Island is populated by more than 30 ethnic groups that include the Han (漢), Li (黎), Miao (苗), Hui (回), Tibetan (藏), Yi (彜), Zhuang (壯), Manchu (滿), Dong (侗), Yao (瑤), Bai (白), Dai (傣), Wa (佤), She (畲), Shui (水), Jin (京), Tu (土),Mongol (蒙古), Buyi (布依), Korean(朝鮮), Tujia (土家), Hani (哈尼), Lisu (傈僳), Gaoshan (高山),Xibo (錫伯), Menba (門巴), Naxi (納西), Mulao (仫佬), Kazakh (哈薩克), and Oroqen (鄂倫春). These groups, of course, are also living in other parts of China. Dozens of dialects are spoken on the island, thus presenting a communication challenge between residents of different cities, counties, prefectures, towns, as well as villages.
The language issue was the primary reason that the work in Hainan was delayed until 1932 —–a full thirty-year period after the entry of the Three Angels’ Massages into China Mainland—–before our church sent its workers to Hainan.
In the early days the Hainan Mission leased its office space and a hall of worship from a local clan association that was located at Yong Le Street (永樂街), now Liberation Road (解放路) in Hoihow [Haikou] City (海口市). At the same time a primary school with about 30 students was established with Chung Wai Poh (鍾惠波) in charge. Starting 1935 the mission sent students to the South China Training Institute to further their education.
When Japan invaded Haikou in 1939, the local church and its affiliated primary school had to halt their operation. Subsequently Woo Tak Shun (胡德純) and Tso Wing Kei (曹榮基) had to leave Haikou for Danzhou City (儋州市) and began work there. In Danzhou they purchased a large retail shop building to serve as the meeting hall and there were 20-30 followers attending the weekly service.
After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the South China Union appointed Tshi Tsok Phien (徐卓鹏) as director of the Hainan Mission. The property at No. 127 Zhendong Street (振東街), Haikou City was purchased as the Hainan Mission office.
The church at Haikou set up Ji Shi Dispensary (濟世診所), as its affiliated organization. Later it was renamed as Ji Shi Maternity Clinic (濟世留産醫院). It was in charge by Liang Zhong Min (梁中民)with Lin Rui Luan (林瑞鸞)as midwife.
Before the liberation of Hainan in 1949, the Hainan Mission had only 120 members. The membership continued to decline in subsequent years. With no new converts added to the fold, the mission teachers and workers had to seek alternate employments outside of the church organization. As a result, the Hainan Mission went into disarray and paralysis.
In 1961 the Adventist churches throughout the Island of Hainan merged with their corresponding city and county Sunday church gatherings. During the 1978 Reform and Opening Up of China, freedom of religious belief was restored in Hainan. Unfortunately, the absence of an Adventist organizational identity coupled with the non-presence of an official Seventh-day Adventist church pastor to take charge of the Adventist interest in Hainan, the “Two Organizations (兩會)” consisting of TSPM [Three-Salf Patriotic Movement] (三自愛國運動委員會) and CCC [China Christian Council] (中國基督教協會), which is in charge of the Protestant churches in China, took over the Danzhou Adventist Church building. As regards the Adventist church building in Haikou [Haihow], the city’s Two Organizations assigned it to the city Catholic Church for its use at a steeply discounted price of 30,000 Chinese Yuan. This Adventist church now becomes the Catholic Sacred Heart Church (聖心堂).
The year 2002 was the centennial and the 70th anniversary of The Three Angels’ Messages reaching into China and the Hainan Island, respectively. In October of that year, strongly encouraged by Pastors Cheng Chao Yung (鄭邵榮), Chiao Hong Zhi (焦洪志), and Liang Jin Xiong (梁勁雄),Elder Zhao Chun Hua (趙春華)of Haikou raised 20,000 Yuan by himself for the revival of the Adventist Church in Haikou and beyond. Since then there are now a total of 13 local Adventist churches and assemblies in the following places, namely, Sanya City (三亞), Wenchang City (文昌), Qionghai City (瓊海), Danzhou City (儋州), Xiqing Farm (西慶農場), Bayi Farm (八一農場), Qiongzhong County (瓊中縣), Hongmao Town (紅毛陣), Xinwei Farm (新偉農場), Zongjian Farm (中建農場) in Tunchang County (屯昌縣), Leshan Village (樂善村) in Wanning City (萬寧), and Lingao County (臨高縣).
The following is an update of the Adventist work in Hainan:
The congregation in Haikou City Adventist Church had obtained from the mayor and the public religious affairs department approval and transfer right of a 5-acre reserve land grant to build a church.
Hongmao Town in Qiongzhong County purchased a 365-square-meter building as their church meeting place in 2008.
Wanning City is preparing to purchase a building in the city to be used as a meeting place.
In the Hainan Island satellite launching base, a new satellite town in the planning stage- within Wenchang City, a fellow believer Xu Wen Hua(許文曄) is ready to dedicate half mu(畝) of land out of his 5-mu homestead to build the church. [1 mu is equivalent to 0.165 acre.]
The gospel work in Sanya City has been active for exactly two years to date, and the 30 plus believers are meeting in a family home that is small and congested. They need a larger meeting place urgently.
The Hainan Province has a baptized Seventh-day Adventist membership of 146 believers of which six are transferred members from other mainland provincial churches.