Underground church says leaders detained as China steps up crackdown | China
Leaders of a prominent underground church in southwestern China have been detained, according to a statement from the church; This was the latest blow in what appears to be a comprehensive crackdown on unregistered Christian groups in the country.
On Tuesday, Li Yingqiang, leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church, was taken by police from his home in Deyang, a small city in Sichuan province, according to the statement. Li’s wife, Zhang Xinyue, and two other church members were also detained: Pastor Dai Zhichao; and Ye Fenghua, an ordinary member. While at least four more members were kidnapped and later released, some were cut off from contact.
The crackdown came after 18 senior members of the Zion Church, another prominent underground church, were arrested in a nationwide sweep in October. In December, there were reports that nearly 100 members of another unofficial church in Zhejiang province were also detained following protests against the demolition of a church, according to Human Rights Watch.
Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at human rights NGO, said: “The recent detention of Early Rain members appears to be part of the Chinese government’s blatant attack on churches in China. As Beijing tightens its ideological control, unofficial churches are seen as ‘disobedient’ to Communist party ideology and therefore pay a heavy price.”
One of the members of Early Rain was summoned on charges of “picking quarrels and causing trouble,” a catch-all crime that targets anyone the government deems a troublemaker. It is not yet clear whether the people who remain in custody have been formally charged. Public security bureaus in Sichuan’s capital Deyang and Chengdu declined to comment.
It was not possible to interview members of Early Rain, but in a statement, the church called on members to “hold fast to their faith, love one another, and be united in the midst of persecution.”
The US Congress’ China select committee said in a post on X that Early Rain was targeted for refusing to “bow down” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Early Rain is one of China’s best-known unofficial “house churches”; It got its name because worshipers met in private meetings rather than in government-approved venues. The church’s founder Wang Yi, a well-known legal scholar and human rights activist, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2019 for inciting the subversion of state power.
Although the CCP supports atheism, China’s constitution guarantees religious freedom and the government officially recognizes five religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Taoism and Buddhism.
But under President Xi Jinping’s rule, the scope for religious freedom has shrunk, amid fears that all religious activity outside state-sanctioned areas will disappear.
The last major crackdown on informal churches was in 2018. That year, Wang was arrested along with 100 other members of Early Rain. Zion’s physical facilities in Beijing were forced to close. The two churches switched to online sermons and continued to meet in small, private gatherings.
Corey Jackson, a former missionary in China and founder of Luke Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Chinese Christians, said Early Rain members have had to be “a lot more secretive about their meetings and a lot more creative over the last seven years.” Jackson said pastors were warned by police last year that there would be no room for unlicensed churches by 2026.
In September, China introduced new rules banning unlicensed religious groups from preaching online. Xi chaired a meeting of senior CCP members, during which he called for the “demonization of religions.” Christians reported that they had been subjected to increasing pressure and interrogation by authorities for months.
Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao, said: “The message is that large organized churches will be completely destroyed. Some, including Early Rain and Zion, had afterlives as online communities. This is now ending completely.”
Some experts believe that despite the crackdown, the Christian community in China will continue to grow. According to official estimates, approximately 3% of the country’s population identifies as Christian. But the real figure may be higher.
“It is impossible to eliminate house churches,” said Yang Fenggang, a professor who studies the sociology of religion at Purdue University in the United States. “The most the authorities can do is to punish a small number of outspoken and prominent church leaders and break these large churches into smaller caucuses.” Yang added that small groups are more effective at recruiting new members.
Last year, Li, who remained active after the Zion crackdown, was quoted in Women’s Magazine as saying: a newsletter Covering sensitive issues in China, the magazine says: “Chinese civil society is almost sterile today. The church, as an organic and vital component, is crucial to its continued activity, vitality and growth despite difficulties.”
China’s Public Security Bureau did not respond to a request for comment.
Additional research by Lillian Yang and Jason Tzu Kuan Lu
