Government Targets Christian Crosses in East China

Just days before Christmas officials in Hangzhou, China, removed a cross from atop a nursing home.

According to Reuters, the move is apart of a wider crackdown on Christianity in Zheijang Province.

Gao Huifang, a worker at the nursing home, told Reuters that the dismantling of the cross had stunned residents. Three elderly people fainted on the spot.

"Although everyone has recovered, the wound to our hearts will never heal," Gao told Reuters by telephone.

More than 400 churches in the province have been ordered to remove their crosses or see them destroyed.

The watchdog group Christian Aid said officials are pursuing a campaign to stop the growth of Christianity by targeting "illegal structures."

In China, churches that are not registered with the government are considered illegal.