Especially in the light of Chinese Christians' abandonment:
Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier attached to a detachment of troops assigned to bring French missionary bishop John Dufresse to Beijing to be executed. His bearing up under suffering impressed the soldier, who asked him about his faith and, eventually, received baptism at his hands, taking the name Augustine. Although Dufresse was killed, the impression he made on Augustine led to the latter eventually seeking ordination. He would be the first Chinese-born diocesan priest and, in 1815, its next martyr. ...
Whatever religious freedom for Catholics that there was in China was short-lived. Since 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has pursued a policy of amputating the Catholic Church’s ties to the Vatican (one surprisingly abetted in this pontificate) — the “Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association” professes loyalty to Beijing, not Rome. The People’s Republic of China represses religious freedom. No doubt, before the day China is truly free, there will be more martyrs to add to the roster of the Chinese Martyrs.
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