In separate incidences, Chinese authorities arrested elderly members of a house church and a pastor and detained them in “transformation through education camps.” On April 19, the police detained three elderly members of a Christian house church in Shawan county of...
Christian Faith in China
Christian in Shandong Pursued by Police for 20 Years
After failing to arrest a believer six times, the police posted an online alert to capture him. Liu Yan (pseudonym), the leader of a house church in Heze city, Shandong Province and a believer since 1993, has been wanted by the police for years. In 1997 alone, the...
Landlords Harassed for Renting Out to Christians
In a veiled attempt to crush house churches, the authorities have been pressurizing landlords that rent out space to Christians. Because the Chinese authorities often demolish house churches when they find out about them, the believers find it convenient to rent a...
Police Enlists Local Thugs to Vandalize House Church
The authorities hired thugs to vandalize and loot a religious gathering venue in Anhui. In July 2015, more than 200 members of a house church were gathered at the home of a believer, Zhou Sheng (pseudonym), in Anhui’s Tongcheng city to participate in a biannual Bible...
Police Seized Homes of 300 Christians
Many people in Jilin have been rendered homeless after the police took over a building where they lived. Last month, Bitter Winter reported about the demolition of a house church in Songyuan city of Jilin. Next to it was a building known as “Prayer Mountain,” which...
Authorities Pursue Family Church in Urumqi City
A church’s administration in Xinjiang was systematically harassed by the authorities over the years. In July 2016, a family church in Xinjiang’s Urumqi city organized an overseas mission for five church personnel. However, the applications of Pastor Wen Jing and Wang...
Shanxi Woman Commits Suicide to Escape Surveillance
A woman of Christian faith was driven to suicide due to harassment faced by constant surveillance by authorities. In December 2013, the Chinese Communist Party officially declared that it was ending its “re-education through labor” system. However, ever since then,...
Crosses at 71 Government-Controlled Churches Removed
Authorities in Henan’s Sanmenxia city have issued an order to replace crosses with Chinese national flags in the churches that belong to the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement. On August 9, the Religious Governance Steering Group in Henan’s Sanmenxia city held a...
Police Humiliates Christian Family, Takes Their Nude Photos
Three members of a family from Yunnan who were arrested in 2016 and subjected to mental torture recount their experience. In October 2016, four police officers from the Chuxiong local station showed up at the home of Zhang Qian (pseudonym). Her house was raided, and...
Local Authorities Shut Down Church for Disabled
The shutdown of a Shandong church has left over 70 deaf Christians without a place to worship. In May, the Good New Church in Shandong’s Qingdao city received a notice from the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Religious Affairs and the Public Security Bureau that the...









