As the jailed Christian’ bookseller’s health collapses, the family renews the fight for justice.
by Tao Niu
On May 4, 2026, the son of Pastor Chang Yuchun (also spelled Chang Yuguang or Chang Yuchun), a Christian printer from Xi’an, reported that his father’s health had significantly worsened in prison.
The case illustrates how the repression of Christian publishing in China has intensified over the past decade. Born in 1968 and a long-time resident of Xi’an, Chang was the legal representative of the Shaanxi Guangyi Aisheng Printing Company. This small firm had quietly printed Christian literature for years. According to his family and co-religionists, the company had been producing Bibles, devotional materials, and theological works since at least 2015, an activity that eventually drew the attention of local authorities.
The turning point came on July 21, 2020, when officers from Xi’an’s cultural law-enforcement bureau, assisted by the state security services, raided the printing facility. They sealed the premises, conducted an on-site inspection, and seized an enormous quantity of religious material—more than 210,000 books. A provincial inspection center later reviewed a selection of the confiscated titles, including volumes such as “Reformed Faith.” It declared them “illegal publications” because they had been printed without prior government authorization.
The following day, July 22, police detained both Pastor Chang and his wife, Li Chenhui. Initially, the couple was placed under “residential surveillance at a designated location,” a measure often used in politically sensitive cases. The first accusation leveled against them was the grave charge of “subversion of state power,” a label frequently applied to dissidents and religious leaders whose activities are deemed threatening to the Party’s ideological control.
By October, however, the authorities shifted strategy. On October 12, 2020, the charge was changed to “illegal business operations,” and Chang was formally placed under criminal detention. Ten days later, on October 22, the Gaoling District Procuratorate approved his arrest on the same charge. Prosecutors argued that Chang had operated a printing business without the required license, had produced unauthorized religious books, and had thereby “disrupted market order.” These actions, they claimed, constituted a criminal offense warranting prosecution.
On August 19, 2021, the Gaoling District Court handed down its verdict: seven years in prison and a 250,000-yuan fine. Chang appealed, but on November 15, 2021, the Xi’an Intermediate People’s Court upheld the original sentence in full. His prison term is scheduled to run until September 1, 2027.
Today, Pastor Chang is held in Fuping Prison in Shaanxi Province, where his health has reportedly deteriorated sharply. His family describes severe joint problems, chronic pain, and increasing physical weakness. Their concern has grown urgent, as Chang’s condition appears to be worsening despite medication.
“His voice was extremely weak,” the son said in a statement after a rare phone call. “He mentioned his condition has worsened dramatically. Medicines no longer help. He can barely eat.”
Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.
