As the Chinese government demolishes crosses, closes unregistered churches, and controls religion more tightly than at any time since the Cultural Revolution, the Vatican has reached a provisional deal with Communist officials that could lead to the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Catholic Church.

With buzz cuts and matching outfits, three 4-year-old boys romped around the front of a small conference room—peering into a projector, peeking behind curtains, and cartwheeling on the carpeted floor. Nearby, their mother fielded questions from an audience of about 40 on her experience raising five children, including triplet boys.

In Beijing, where most families have only one child, the idea of having five children is unfathomable.

For the past 12 years, Frank Hu (name changed for security), a pastor in central Taiwan, has led short-term mission trips to the Chinese province of Henan where he organizes camps for up to 140 college students.

This summer, I’ve read two collections of short stories: The Execution of Mayor Yin and Other Stories from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution by Chen Jo-hsi and The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi. The two books were written in different places and times, but both tell what it’s like for ordinary people to live under a communist regime.

On Sunday, Chinese authorities officially banned one of the country’s largest unregistered house churches, Beijing’s Zion Church. Two days later, authorities detained senior pastor Ezra Jin and other Zion leaders, the latest move in the government’s recent crackdown on Christianity.

The start of a new school year brings varied emotions: excitement to reunite with friends, the dread of homework, or, for parents, the relief of an empty, quiet house. But for students and parents at unregistered Christian schools in China, another feeling reigns: uncertainty. Will their school remain open all year, or will the government try to shut it down?

A movie most Americans have never heard of became the second highest-grossing film of all time in a single market last year, earning $874 million in China. Wolf Warrior 2, released July 2017, broke record after record: the highest-grossing Chinese film ever released, the biggest single-day gross for a Chinese movie, and the fastest film to gross more than $500 million in China. Only Star Wars: The Force Awakens beat the action flick by making $936.7 million in North America.