So the point is that smaller cell based churches are more able to adapt than the big infrastructure churches like Roman Catholicism to persecution.
What is interesting to me is that at times and in places Roman Catholics have demonstrated the ability to go underground quite effectively. I am thinking of the former Soviet states.
Also, the Lutheran synods in mainland China have some of the same issues. There is a clergy, that typically needs some sort of hierarchy. But they have changed to accommodate the situation and are much more infrastructure independent than most Western Synods.
I suspect that the Catholic church could do something similar. Of course the requirements of oversight from the Vatican is an issue in China. They are very sensitive about foreign oversight of religion.
There are two chruches in China; the Patriotic Catholic Church with licit sacraments, but following the line of State dogma, and the Underground Catholic Church following Catholic dogma.
This is the underground: http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/rc/RCrelfreedom.php
It is a very tenuous and frightening situation for those who defy the government.
The priests and bishops of the underground are routinely imprisoned, tortured and kept under house arrest if not killed.
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/rc/RCrelfreedom.php#2