The renewed demand for religion was met with a shortage of teaching material.
The first people who dared to print the Bible again were members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. But the military press with its outdated facilities was ill-suited for the particular demands of the Bible, which requires lightweight paper that could improve the portability of the finished product. Still, the army press cranked out about 3 million copies before Amity broke into the market.
Today, about three-quarters of Amity's Bibles are printed for domestic consumption.
Founded in 1988, the company is a joint venture between a Chinese Christian charity and the United Bible Societies, a British-based organization with chapters around the world devoted to the translation, publication and distribution of the Scriptures.
The two parties raised about $5 million from Bible Societies around the world and built a factory with modern equipment on the outskirts of this ancient city, formerly known as Nanking. Peter Dean, Amity's production advisor, said the United Bible Societies does not proselytize at the plant, insisting its function in Nanjing is purely business.
"We have the same structure as a Motorola or a Philips," said Dean, a New Zealander who has worked with the company in China since 1991. "They make cellphones and TV tubes, and we're producing Bibles."
Limits on worship
Although anybody can buy a Bible in China, you can do so only through a state-run church.
Visitors to China caught smuggling in copies face stiff penalties. Last year, the leader of an underground church accused of illegally printing and distributing thousands of Bibles completed a three-year prison term.
Beijing Olympics organizers recommend that spiritually inclined international athletes coming in August bring only one copy of the Bible for their personal use if they are worried about getting into trouble. If they forget, one would be provided free, courtesy of Amity.
"I welcome this move," Anthony Lam, a researcher at the Holy Spirit Study Center in Hong Kong, said of the production of Bibles in China. "We still hope Chinese officials will recognize the importance of religious freedom. But it's always a good thing [to see them printing Bibles], no matter if they are atheists or believers, as long as they print it honestly."
