The Church in China: Learning to Fly in a Birdcage

In 1980, at the beginning of China’s economic reform era, a Party leader described the emerging Chinese economy as a “birdcage.” He said the bird (the nascent free market) could be allowed to fly only within the confines of a state-planned economy (the birdcage). In other words, Chinese capitalism must be controlled by the Communist Party.That metaphor describes China today — and not just the economy but all of society, including religious life. The government claims that citizens have “freedom