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I first met Jin Luxian in 1995 at his residence at Sheshan next to the basilica on the hilltop outside Shanghai which Jin had chosen as the location for his new seminary. Having lived in China on and off since the mid-1980s I was already fully aware of the situation of the Catholic Church in China, divided between an underground Church of fiercely traditional families and persecuted priests and an official Church that seemed on occasion no more than a means by which the authorities could squeeze what life was left out of a bitter enemy of the Chinese Communist party. In a country where every person is compromised by the demands of the secret police, most of the official priests I had met seemed glad simply to be out of jail and willing to do whatever the government asked of them. Jin was completely different. Here was a man who demonstrated his spiritual authority in his words, in his actions and through his very considerable achievements. Practising my religion in Shanghai was completely different from what I had experienced in Beijing or other major cities. In Shanghai foreign Catholics were able to establish their own parish; a vibrant seminary was educating a new generation of deeply committed priests; young people in Shanghai were discovering the religion of their grandparents; the sermons in the local churches were socially relevant and gripping. Given that the activities of the Catholic Church continued to be monitored with an obsessive paranoia it was clear that we Catholics were operating under a protective umbrella established at the highest levels. For this we have Jin to thank. Over the years I got to know Jin better, spending time with him, doing what little I could to explain to the outside world what he was doing and why I felt that his choice was the right one. The longer I knew him the greater my respect and love for him grew. Translator’s Note xxii Translator’s Note Two years ago I attended early morning mass at Jin’s private chapel. After mass he showed me a copy of a translation of his memoirs that had been done by a Chinese translator and asked me whether I could polish it. Having compared the original text with the translation I realised that it would be much easier simply to start afresh. I suggested this to Jin and he asked me to do the work. During the year that I lived with Jin’s memoirs I gained an even deeper understanding of this extraordinary man and of the world that made him. There were moments when I was overcome with emotion and had to rest from my work to regain my composure. At all times I kept in mind Jin’s own personality and tried as best I could to replicate his voice in the English text. A work of this nature is written without self-glorification, either of the self-promoting or the self-denigrating kind. The purpose may be one of selfjustification in the face of criticism, but even then serves simply better to hone the essential evangelical message. Jin’s life has been led in the service of God and his memoir also serves God’s purpose. I would like to thank those who read manuscript versions of this translation, not least Jin Luxian himself (who checked every page), but also Richard Rigby, Warren Kinne and my mother Euphan (to whom I owe my Catholic faith). My wife Mina and our children Alexander and Clovis share my devotion to Jin and have supported me throughout the long process of translation. William Hanbury-Tenison Shanghai, September 2012 ...

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