|PIC1|The appeal will focus on Sichuan Province in particular, where a massive earthquake killed nearly 70,000 people when it struck in May last year.

In rural parts of Sichuan, many of the people live on less than 50p per day, making it impossible to buy even subsidised Bibles or medical care.

The Scottish Bible Society aims to print thousands of Bibles and distribute them around the province in vans fitted out with medical equipment.

It hopes to raise enough funds for four new vans, which the Chinese government has already given permission to be used in the distribution of Bibles and medical equipment.

Although there are officially 23 million Christians in China, Bibles cannot be bought from bookshops but only from one of 74 official Bible distribution centres.

The head of the Scottish Bible Society, Elaine Duncan, said that only 44 of the centres had vans to reach the rural population and that in some places they were serving hundreds of thousands of Christians each.

“To reach out effectively, these centres need to be properly resourced,” she said. “In addition, with better equipped vans, the centres could carry basic medical equipment to areas such as Sichuan Province, struck by last year’s devastating earthquake.

“The disaster demonstrated that, in spite of China’s economic success, material wealth could not fill the spiritual void in people’s hearts.

“The hunger for spiritual truth was so evident.”

The new vans will carry an electro-cardiograph, a semi-automated biochemical analyser, 13 basic surgical instruments and blood pressure monitors.

The Scottish Bible Society said it would keep the costs of the Bibles down by printing them on special paper.

The Bibles will be printed at one of the world’s largest Bible printing presses in Nanjing.