Nuns haunted by attack in land dispute

Catholic nun Cheng Jing sees spots before her eyes, and the vision in her right eye is so poor objects held at arm's length are blurred. It has been that way since she and 16 other nuns were beaten by thugs during a land dispute in Xian last November.

Sister Cheng cannot focus on anything - a book, television or a person - for more than five minutes. But she says: 'As long as God willed this to happen, then I'm willing [to accept it].'

The 34-year-old native of Qi county in Shanxi is still suffering the physical and psychological effects of the attack. Every time she passes by the church land where the beatings took place, the memories flood back.

Sister Cheng was temporarily living in a convent belonging to the Franciscan Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which shares a site with the St Francis Cathedral in Xian , and preparing to take her permanent vows when her life was turned upside down on the night of November 23.

Thugs armed with batons attacked Sister Cheng and 16 other nuns while they were guarding a nearby plot of land, which had historically belonged to the church, in an attempt to have it handed back to the diocese.

In 1952, the Xian city government confiscated the Rosary Girls' High School managed by the missionaries, and replaced it with the Five-Star Street Primary School on a 1,800 square metre site. The school also 'occupied' another 238 square metres of church land - which did not fall into the category of land that could be confiscated - for a playground.