The case of the imprisoned leaders of Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church shows that inmates’ right to receive non-illegal reading material does not extend to the Sacred Scripture.
by Wang Yichi
The case of the Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui, continues to illustrate how the Chinese authorities’ expanding definition of “xie jiao” now reaches even communities that are doctrinally conservative, confessionally Reformed, and entirely peaceful. As “Bitter Winter” has previously documented, Beijing’s campaign to broaden the category of “cult” has already swept up groups far removed from the movements historically targeted under Article 300. The Maizhong Reformed Church is a textbook example of how this logic is now applied to ordinary house churches that refuse to join the Three-Self system.
New information supplied by their relatives indicates that the situation of the three detained leaders—Pastor Zhang Sen, Pastor Chang Shun, and Elder Ma Tao—has further deteriorated. Their families have filed formal complaints because, after nearly eleven months in the Fuyang Detention Center, the men have still been denied access to a Bible. One of the complaints, submitted by Zhang Sen’s wife, states plainly: “My husband is a Christian… the detention center does not provide a Bible, nor does it allow family members to send or bring one.” She cites the Detention Center Regulations and their implementing rules, which explicitly allow detainees to receive reading materials from relatives after inspection. She also reminds authorities that detainees retain freedom of religious belief and the right to file complaints and petitions. The complaint argues that the refusal to allow a Bible “lacks legal basis” and requests that the supervisory department order the detention center to correct the violation.
The families report that when they attempted to take a photograph outside the Fuyang Public Security Bureau after filing the complaint, an officer ordered them to delete it, accusing them of “using visits to exert pressure” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”—the standard accusation used to silence petitioners. The intimidation of relatives is now a predictable part of the machinery deployed against unregistered Protestant communities.
The Maizhong Reformed Church has faced pressure since 2021 for maintaining its house-church identity and refusing to join the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. On June 29, 2025, authorities raided the church, detaining Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao. Pastor Zhang Sen was arrested on July 9. In October, all three were transferred to the procuratorate for indictment on charges of “organizing illegal gatherings.” A pre-trial meeting was held on May 7, 2026. The denial of Bibles during this entire period underscores the punitive nature of the detention and the authorities’ determination to break the church’s spiritual life.
The families’ complaints also reveal the broader climate surrounding the case. They note that similar denials of religious materials “are not isolated incidents,” suggesting a systemic practice in the region.
The Maizhong case is now approaching a critical stage. A pre-trial meeting has been held, and the indictment under “illegal gathering” charges remains pending. The families’ decision to file formal complaints marks a rare act of public resistance in a context where petitioners are routinely threatened. Their insistence on citing the law—rather than appealing emotionally—highlights the contradiction between China’s written regulations and the reality of religious repression.
This case exemplifies how the criminalization of ordinary Protestant worship is expanding under the guise of “management,” “rectification,” and the ever-elastic category of “illegal religious activity.” The denial of a Bible to detainees who have not been convicted of any crime is not only a violation of China’s own regulations but a revealing indicator of how far the authorities are willing to go to suppress a church whose only “offense” is its refusal to submit to state control.
Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.
