▁critic ized ▁by ▁other ▁mission aries , ▁who ▁felt ▁he ▁c ared ▁more ▁about ▁lingu istic ▁research ▁than ▁minister ing ▁to ▁his ▁con greg ants ▁and ▁pros ely t izing . ▁Much ▁of ▁his ▁early ▁scholar ship ▁focused ▁on ▁correct ing ▁errors ▁in ▁existing ▁transl ations ▁of ▁pray ers , ▁miss als , ▁and ▁c ate ch isms . ▁ ▁In ▁March ▁ 1 9 4 3 , ▁Ser ru ys ▁and ▁his ▁fellow ▁mission aries ▁were ▁placed ▁under ▁house ▁arrest ▁by ▁the ▁Japanese , ▁first ▁in ▁the ▁We ih s ien ▁Intern ment ▁Camp , ▁then ▁at ▁the ▁chapter ▁house ▁of ▁the ▁Jes uits ▁in ▁Be ij ing . ▁ ▁Ser ru ys ▁was ▁released ▁with ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁the ▁capt ives ▁in ▁late ▁ 1 9 4 5 ▁following ▁Japan ' s ▁un cond itional ▁surrender ▁and ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁where up on ▁Ser ru ys ▁was ▁sent ▁to ▁Z hang gu ant un ▁( ), ▁a ▁town ship ▁several ▁miles ▁outside ▁of ▁C ang z hou ▁in ▁Heb ei ▁Province . ▁ ▁Cond itions ▁were ▁poor ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁continu ation ▁of ▁the ▁Chinese ▁Civil ▁War , ▁and ▁Ser ru ys ▁was ▁forced ▁to ▁hide ▁most ▁of ▁his ▁religious ▁materials ▁to ▁prevent ▁their ▁conf is cation ▁by ▁the ▁anti - rel ig ious ▁Commun ist ▁Party ▁of ▁China ▁forces ▁after ▁the ▁Ku om int ang ▁lost ▁control ▁of ▁the ▁region ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 6 . ▁ ▁Ser ru ys ▁moved ▁back ▁to ▁Be ij