In Shandong, authorities tried to stop believers from protesting a demolition by digging a ditch in front of the church. On June 20, government officials in Xigang town of Shandong attempted to demolish a state-sanctioned Protestant Three-Self Church. When the village...
“Official” or “government-controlled” religions are often mentioned in China. Five religious bodies are indeed authorized by the regime, although even their liberty is limited. Massimo Introvigne Bitter Winter readers often encounter news about “government-controlled”...
A state-sanctioned Protestant church in Zhejiang Province has been harassed on many occasions, once the authorities sent 500 people to demolish its cross. In February 2016, local government officials came to the church and declared that they have an official document...
A husband of a member of The Church of Almighty God was told to divorce his wife if he wanted a Communist Party position in their village. Wang Gairong (pseudonym) from Yuzhou city, Henan Province, is a member of The Church of Almighty God, a Chinese Christian new...
The local authorities lock up people in “education” camps even for speaking the Uyghur language. Bitter Winter recently interviewed Shihezi resident Zhang Hui whose relatives, including his two brothers, were all arrested and places in a “transformation through...
Churches in Jilin’s Yushu city have been targeted increasingly by the Chinese authorities since the implementation of the new Regulations on Religious Affairs. Bitter Winter has received reports about government-approved Protestant Three-Self churches being demolished...
The places of worship established by South Koreans in China have been persecuted since President Xi Jinping came to power; the number of closed down churches and deported missionaries is dramatically increasing. Bitter Winter has recently accessed reports of a case...
Authorities in China’s provinces proactively respond to President Xi Jinping’s order to intensify the crackdown on beliefs and use the same methods as those employed to eliminate gang crime.
At least 400 Christians have been left in a lurch as the authorities have shut down their churches, including several Three-Self Churches. On May 6, the personnel of Xinhu’s Fenyi county as well as the local village secretary visited the Zaomushan village’s Three-Self...
The Chinese authorities continue to persecute state-sanctioned churches and religious heads. Bitter Winter has accessed reports as per which, believers at a Three-Self church in Henan were in a meeting when over 30 officials from the local Public Security and...