One thing that even its detractors, such as myself, must admit with regard to the Chinese Communist Party – they are nothing if not persistent. They do not give up easily. They are absolutely determined to give the Catholic Church no peace, and to impose their will on the Church, and they do this using a time honoured play book. Consider the latest news about a Church demolition talking place in Wangcun village, in Shanxi province, as reported by this magazine. The authorities, for no particular reason, are trying to knock down a Catholic church, and the parishioners are trying to stop them, by interposing their bodies. They are being very brave: after all, a couple of hundred parishioners against the mighty power of the Chinese state does not seem a very evenly matched contest. This represents one of many Church demolitions in China in recent times. The rate of persecution is variable, and may be dependant on what the Chinese authorities think they can get away with. Nor do they just demolish churches. As the ever valuable Wikipedia summarises: