Huge turnout at funeral for house church leader in Guangzhou
Memorial for Samuel Lamb, a prominent figure in the unofficial church movement, attracts large turnout - and police presence - in Guangzhou
Tens of thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Pastor Samuel Lamb in Guangzhou yesterday, paying tribute to the beacon of China's unofficial church movement amid a heavy police presence.
A wide column of people, many dressed in traditional mourning of white or black, formed outside the Guangzhou Yinhe funeral house in Tianhe district. The event was scheduled for today, but Lamb's church announced in the morning it was bringing the service forward, citing "venue limitations".
There are nearly 30,000 people here today. I have been working here for 10 years and have never seen anything like this before. Even the funeral procession for Guangdong's former [party chief] did not attract such a turnout
Elderly rural women waited with city office workers for up to an hour to enter the building and walk past the casket. Lamb, also known as Lin Xiangao , died on August 3, at age 88.
"There are nearly 30,000 people here today," one employee with the funeral home said. "I have been working here for 10 years and have never seen anything like this before. Even the funeral procession for Guangdong's former [party chief] did not attract such a turnout."
Dozens of plain-clothes police and uniformed officers watched the crowd. Activist lawyer Tang Jingling and his wife were removed from the line by state security agents, witnesses said.
Wen Yu, a 38-year-old lawyer , said more would have attended if the funeral were held today as originally planned.