Kuanjie Church in Beijing's Dongcheng district, built in the 1940s Photo: CFP

On the second floor of a plain looking house on the outskirts of Beijing, a dozen children under the age of 7 are listening carefully to a Christian pastor tell them a Chinese-style Bible story.

Dressed in black and speaking in engaging but somber tones, the pastor tells the children about a dog and his master who meet at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter makes the man and his dog race each other and only the winner will be allowed to enter heaven.

No matter how many times the race is run the dog lags a step behind its owner. In the end, the master tells the loyal dog that he deserves to go to heaven as a reward for his obedience.

"The story teaches us it is a great glory to be obedient to our parents, which is really important," said the pastor, nodding and smiling. The pupils are then asked to join the pastor in prayer.

It's a typical lesson at this underground Christian school in Beijing, where each class begins and often ends with prayers.

There are more than 23 million Protestant Christians in China, and the number is climbing, according to a survey by the Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences.

The more fervent believers in Christian fundamentalism are shunning China's secular school system and opening their own schools that require deep sacrifices from parents and students.

Christian fundamentalism

With a heavy emphasis on Bible studies the schools are indoctrinating the students with Christian values which they believe are essential in shaping a youngster's moral character. They say building Christian-based moral character - a favorite phrase of those involved in the schools - is more important than the endless rounds of testing that students at public schools endure.

Seven years ago, Zhou Bo, who converted to Christianity in the 1990s, had a revelation when he was looking for a school to send his daughter.

"Most of the public schools are exam-oriented, and they neglect the diversified development needs of each student and the importance of building students' moral character," said Zhou, who is a trained economist.

An ultra-pious Christian, Zhou was also worried because the ultra-secular public school system doesn't offer the Bible teachings he believes his daughter requires.

"For us, the most important thing is to bring up our child according to the Bible, and we believe in building good moral character, with a strong sense of responsibility, self-discipline, tolerance and persistence. Our kids can learn any skill more easily as they grow up," Zhou said with 100 percent certainty.

Zhou and his wife solved their dilemma over where to send the child to school by starting their own Christian school that he hopes will someday provide full-time classes from kindergarten to high school for children of Christian families.

Zhou rented a 130-square-meter house in a residential compound on the outskirts of Beijing, and recruited students from families who attend his home church. The parents and Christian friends also act as teachers. 

Teaching system imported from US

"We call ourselves a family-mutual-aid organization, and parents who are talented in teaching volunteer at our school," Zhou said.

The school started with four students and now has an enrollment of 12 who attend kindergarten to grade 2.

As the leader of a home church, 43-year-old Zhou is also the spiritual tutor to both students and staff at the school.

Each morning at 8 am, Zhou leads the teachers in Bible studies and asks them to share their experiences in teaching.

"Our teachers have to be Christians, so they will love our students from the depth of their hearts," Zhou said.

Schools like Zhou's in China use the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) program that is also taught in Christian schools in other countries.

The curriculum was developed by an American fundamental Christian educational products company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It teaches that the Bible is literally true. It preaches creationism and that the theory of evolution is wrong.

Zhou said the ACE curriculum is taught in 4,000 Christian schools in 135 countries, and that graduates have been accepted by 1,500 colleges and universities around the world.

Zhou said the American company opened an office in Shanghai in 2008 after realizing there was potential in the Chinese market. Along with a student curriculum, it also provides training to school principals, teachers and tutors.

Zhou said the curriculum, which was created for students who are English native speakers, emphasizes self-learning and provides lessons in mathematics, English, science and social studies.

The Beijing-based Phoenix Weekly reported that there are 40 Christian schools that have adopted the ACE system in the Chinese mainland, mostly in Guangzhou and Beijing. Small schools, low enrollment

"I like it here. I don't have to do a lot of homework after class and the teachers don't scold me when I do something wrong," Wang Tao, an 8-year-old who transferred to a Christian school this month after his mother found him worn out by his public school.

Students who study at the Christian schools are not eligible to take the national college entrance exams known as the gaokao.

This means parents who send their children to such schools can only hope they have enough money and their children have good enough grades to attend college abroad.

Wang Yawei, a devout Christian and mother of a 4-year-old is determined her son will complete his studies at a Chinese Christian school then go abroad for university. "What should we leave our children? High scores and money or a good moral character education?" asked Wang rhetorically. She and her husband moved their residence so she could be closer to her son's school.

The first Christian missionaries came to China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Later churches of various denominations opened Christian schools that were renowned for their high standards and strict teaching methods. After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949 the government embraced atheism and all religious schools were closed in favor of a national secular school system that was open to everyone.

Research by the Global Times found there are at least seven small Christian schools in Beijing, most are located in residential compounds on the outskirts of the city. The largest has 80 students, while the smallest has fewer than 10.

In China, secular private schools are required to teach from an approved syllabus that concurs with the teaching objectives of the public education system.

To avoid conforming to the standards of the public system, Christian schools usually register as a training center or children's center or a family-mutual-aid organization.

Research also shows none of the Christian schools in Beijing have been closed nor have any of their staff been queried by local authorities.

"I think we're helping the authorities to improve education, and the government should be supportive," said Zhou. "We have seen the problems of the public education system, and we are exploring another way for our students."

Foreign donation not accepted

Zhou says his school purposefully maintains a low profile and doesn't advertise for new students. He only accepts students whose parents are Christian, and they are asked to sign a waiver exempting the school and its teaching methods from liability if the students' education doesn't match expectations.

Tuition fees usually range from 15,000 to 17,000 annually. China's nine-year public school system is tuition free.

Donations are accepted from Chinese Christians who don't have children at the school and some churches provide start-up money for the schools. To avoid being accused of being a front for overseas religious organizations, Zhou says he never accepts foreign donations.

Schools are operated as a non-profit organization and Zhou says he and his wife have this year alone sunk 200,000 yuan ($31,785) of their own money into the school and its 12 students.

The average teacher income at the school is just 2,000 yuan a month, about half the rate of a public school teacher.

Challenges

Zhou's elder sister Zhou Liu, who is not Christian, is also not supportive for her brother's methods. Her son attends a public school.

"How will the children be able to deal with such a complicated society after they are brought up in such simple circumstances?" asked Zhou Liu.

Without government support or a large pool of students seeking to enroll, many Christian schools have few resources such as a library or even a playground.

Wu Ying helps teach at her 13-year-old daughter's Christian school. She had home-schooled her daughter before discovering the school. A deeply devout Christian, Wu also sees the need to emphasize biblical teachings and Christian morals.

"The most important thing is to help students build good moral character and teach them to distinguish between good and bad, which will allow them to master any skill they are interested in," said Wu spouting the goal of all parents.