Wang Yi, the pastor of the Early Rain Reformed Church in Chengdu, has written a poem about the lawyers and activists he has known who have served prison terms for their work. Spurred by the recent questioning and detention of over 100 lawyers and activists, Wang recalls passing acquaintances and fierce friendships alike. Wang’s faith urges his friends and himself to continue their rights defense work, despite the increasingly dire consequences.

Oh, I Have So Many Friends

Liu Xiaobo is my friend
I have nothing more to say
Gao Zhisheng is my friend, too
Though the times we’ve met are few
Xu Zhiyong is my friend
He’s come to my home, and listened to me preach
Chen Yunfei is my friend
Even on summer break
His daughter is used to daddy not being at home

Liu Xianbin is my brother
He preached the Gospel to a thief in prison
I haven’t seen his wife for some time
Li Huaping is my brother, he weighs about the same as me
Of course I mean before he went to prison
Tang Jingling is my brother
I first met him in Guangzhou, he was wearing straw sandals
Chen Wei is my brother, too
We’ve only had a meal together, but because he was kind
He put up with me and listened to me preach

Li Heping is a dear brother
Some years ago, I’d go to him whenever things went wrong
Li Fangping is a dear brother, too, his name one character different from Heping’s
Elder Hu Shigen is a dear friend, too
We met first in Beijing, then Chengdu
Fan Yafeng is my brother, also my elder
He has made me to kneel down in his home
To say the Sinner’s prayer for the last time

Yang Maodong is my friend, too
Though many thought I was his enemy
His lawyer, Sui Muqing, has come to the church twice
And has shaken my hand twice. When I heard he was taken away
My hand suddenly felt warm

Ran Yunfei is my old friend
Pu Zhiqiang is my friend, too
When one friend is in prison, I call the another
Then Xia Lin also went to prison
We drank together once—of course I drank tea instead
Prisoners appreciate each other
So friends of friends also become friends

Oh, I have so many friends
Guo Yushan and I spent an afternoon talking in my study
Xiao Shu was in my living room, but left before he’d warmed his seat
Wang Qingying came to Chengdu many years ago, and knocked on my door
Zheng Enchong I haven’t met once
But his wife just came to Bible study at my home

Tan Zuoren is a dear friend
I remember when we first drank tea by a river—he said
You be careful, whatever you do don’t go to prison
Who would know that he would be the one to go

There are others who I must first befriend
Before I have the chance to really know them
Like Shi Tao, like Yang Zili
There are some other dear friends, who I can only visit overseas
Like Brother Yu Jie in the United States
And Brother Teng Biao in Hong Kong

And my friend Li Bifeng, he even asked someone
To bring a note out to me
Asking me to help his son stay in Canada, to never come back
And my brother Wang Bingzhang. I went together with his daughter
To Washington, D.C., to the Senate
And Yang Tianshui, and Xu Wanping
And Huang Qi, whose wife was baptized in the church
And Yan Wenhan. Before he got involved in the Chain Incident
He was a catechism student at the Early Rain Church.

Oh, I have so many friends
Mostly from Beijing, then from Chengdu, thirdly from Guangdong
Oh, I have so many friends
Mostly men, leaving their wives and children behind
Oh, I have so many friends
It won’t make a big difference with or without me

Oh, I have so many friends
But I’m not ashamed, I’m proud
Oh, I have so many friends
All convicts, not a single scholar
Oh, I have so many friends
What should I be afraid of? If God sends me to prison,
There’ll always be someone saying, “Wang Yi is my friend,”
“Wang Yi is my brother,”
“We’ll pray for him. We’ll take care of his wife and kids.”

July 13, 2015, in the dark of the night, thinking of my friends. [Chinese]

Translation by Mengyu Dong.