Jian Huang was 20 years old when he first heard the name of Jesus.

He was one of China's best young bassoonists, and though he spoke no English, he left Beijing on a full scholarship to study at Ohio's Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He didn't want anything to do with religion or the men who showed up on campus to give him a Bible.

"I grew up only taking care of my career and future. These men were just bothering me," said Mr. Huang, who once, like two-thirds of Chinese, claimed no religion. "But they treated me very well. As a Chinese man, I thought they just wanted to get something out of me."

He said he learned they had something to give, not to take. Within the year, he was baptized.

Three years later, Mr. Huang moved to Augusta. He is now the principal bassoonist of the Augusta Symphony and a member of the Augusta Chinese Christian Fellowship.

He'd like to stay in the United States, to continue in both his music and his faith.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable with the idea of practicing my faith in China," Mr. Huang said as he sat among Chinese friends who gathered more than a week ago to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

China has guaranteed "freedom of religious belief" since adopting a state constitution in 1982, yet religion remains tightly regulated by government-sanctioned associations that oversee the five approved faiths: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestant Christianity.

As a result, many Chinese say they were only able to find faith after leaving their homeland.

"In China, most people are atheists. Nobody talks about Christ, the Bible, any of it," said Gang Cheng, who moved to Augusta two months ago for a residency in internal medicine at the Medical College of Georgia.

Seven years ago, China made several promises to secure its bid to play host to the Games. Among those vows were pledges to improve air quality, security and press access. Religion, however, was only mentioned in China's plan as a means of promoting national solidarity.

Three days before the Olympics began, a leading advocate for China's underground house churches was detained, according to news reports. Mingxuan Zhang, the president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, and his interpreter were held overnight by police before being forced to leave Beijing.

President Bush had planned to attend services in one of China's house churches, but state authorities nixed the idea. Mr. Bush instead worshiped on Sunday at the Beijing Kuanjie Protestant Church, which is registered with the state.

A government tally says 16 million Chinese are Christians, but a study at Shanghai University last year set the number at 40 million. Critics say both the university's count and that of the officially atheist government are still too low, since many Christians only worship in house churches.

"People in China aren't going to be as open about their religious beliefs," said Walter Cheng, a member of the pastoral board at Augusta Chinese Christian Fellowship. "It just isn't done like it is in America."

The society in general is less open to religion, he said. The Shanghai University study found that 31 percent of the country's 1.3 billion people consider themselves religious.

In the United States, that number is closer to 83 percent.

"Chinese don't grow up as very religious people," Mr. Cheng said. "For most of them, coming to America is a huge adjustment. They teach only evolution in China. They've never heard of creationism. The concept of everlasting life is so foreign to them."

Gang Cheng isn't sure if he'll ever return to his home in Harbin, a large city in northeast China, but if he did, he would consider going to a state church.

"Maybe by then there will be more choices. The church is growing. The believers are growing," he said. "Right now, China needs help. There's nothing done overnight, but things are getting better."

The government's religious regulations are still strict, but there are signs the country is becoming more open, Walter Cheng said. New Chinese Christians are returning home with Bibles, and house churches are more outspoken than they use to be.

"It's progress," he said, but then again, "Could they stand on a street corner like evangelists do here? Never."

Religious freedom is often a topic of conversation at fellowship meetings.

"Officially China has freedom to worship, but they pump you so full of their own theology there isn't room for anything else," Mr. Cheng said. "Here, there's room for Jesus."