General
18.07.2025 – China expands crackdown on independent churches
ADHRRF – Recent reports and firsthand testimony from Christians in China indicate that the Chinese government is persecuting the church with renewed vigor as it implements new regulations on foreign missionaries and the worship practices of local believers.
In April, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) released new regulations reinforcing its ban on independent foreign missionary activity. While the CCP does allow a small number of missionaries to operate under strict government control, these regulations prohibit foreigners from preaching, sharing their faith, or establishing religious organizations without official approval.
Buddhists
30.07.2025 – The arrest of Shaolin’s Abbot shakes up government-controlled Chinese buddhism
Bitter Winter – The arrest on July 25 and the defrocking of Shi Yongxin, the former influential abbot of China’s famous Shaolin Monastery, have caused shockwaves across the country’s religious scene. Known as the birthplace of Shaolin kung fu, the monastery now faces a scandal that could undermine the credibility of China’s state-sanctioned Buddhist organizations.
Shi Yongxin, originally named Liu Yingcheng and born in 1965, became the abbot of Shaolin Temple in 1999. During his tenure, he turned the once dilapidated monastery into a worldwide brand. Known as the “CEO monk,” he promoted Shaolin culture aggressively, licensing its name in over eighty countries for products ranging from bottled water to video games.
29.07.2025 – Over 300 Tibetan stupas and religious statues demolished by the Chinese
Bitter Winter – In a sweeping act of religious and cultural repression, Chinese authorities have demolished over three hundred Buddhist stupas and sacred statues in Drakgo (Ch. Luhuo) County, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, according to reports from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and other sources. The area is part of historical Tibet but not of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
The destruction, which occurred between late May and June 2025 at Lungrab Zang-ri near Janggang Monastery, marks a dramatic escalation in Beijing’s campaign to “Sinicize” Tibetan Buddhism and suppress Tibetan identity.
Falun Gong
30.07.2025 – Twice jailed for a total of 14 years, Liaoning man gets another 9 years for practicing Falun Gong
Minghui – A 56-year-old resident of Fushun City, Liaoning Province, was notified on July 15, 2025, that he had been sentenced to nine years for his faith in Falun Gong. He is now appealing the wrongful conviction.
Mr. Jiang Dexin was home on the night of October 26, 2024, when he was seized by a group of officers from Chengde City, Hebei Province, about 400 miles away. They held him at the Fushun City Detention Center overnight and interrogated him the following day. On October 28, they took him to Hebei Province and put him in the Chengde City Detention Center.
26.07.2025 – 66-year-old Hebei man dies 20 months after being released on parole in critical condition
Minghui – While serving a seven-year term for practicing Falun Gong, a Tangshan City, Hebei Province resident was abused to the point of becoming seriously ill. The prison authorities did not release him on parole until November 6, 2023, when he was on the verge of death. He faced continued harassment at home and died on July 18, 2025. He was 66.
Mr. Tian Shisheng was arrested at home on the morning of July 3, 2019, by over a dozen police officers. They seized his wife, Ms. Tian Shulan, also a Falun Gong practitioner. The couple were later convicted in December 2019, with Mr. Tian sentenced to seven years and his wife five years.
22.07.2025 – 81-year-old Falun Gong practitioner jailed in Jilin Province
Bitter Winter – In China, being more than 80 years old would not save you from jail if you are caught practicing Falun Gong.
Wang Jianying is a Falun Gong practitioner from Gongzhuling, Changchun City, Jilin Province. Born in 1944, he is now 81 and has endured significant hardships in his life. A retired government employee, he started practicing Falun Gong in 1996, finding solace and purpose in the teachings.
In 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party initiated a severe crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners, Wang Jianying became one of many who faced persecution for his beliefs. In 2001, he was arrested for his unwavering commitment to his practice and spent two painful years in a detention center. Upon returning home, he faced the heartbreaking loss of his job simply for refusing to abandon his faith.
19.07.2025 – 73-year-old Shandong man secretly sentenced to 7 years for practicing Falun Gong
Minghui – Mr. Sun Hongzhu’s family received a notice in July 2025 stating that he was admitted to the Jinan Prison in Shandong Province on June 25, 2025, to serve a seven-year prison term for his faith in Falun Gong.
Mr. Sun, a 73-year-old resident of Shouguang City, Shandong Province, was arrested on November 9, 2024, by agents from the Shouguang City Domestic Security Office who had been following him.
The police accused Mr. Sun of using a cult to undermine law enforcement, a standard pretext used by the communist regime to frame Falun Gong practitioners. He was then issued a formal arrest warrant. After that, his family was never given any updates about his indictment, trial, or sentencing. They didn’t know about his wrongful conviction and prison admission until they received the prison notice.
18.07.2025 – New information reveals relentless torture of Heilongjiang woman who died in custody at 75 while serving a 6-year prison term
Minghui – The Minghui.org website previously reported on the death of Ms. Mou Yongxia on July 13, 2023, while she was serving a six-year prison term for her faith in Falun Gong. The retired teacher from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province was 75 years old.
The Minghui.org website previously reported on the death of Ms. Mou Yongxia on July 13, 2023, while she was serving a six-year prison term for her faith in Falun Gong. The retired teacher from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province was 75 years old.
Protestants
31.07.2025 – Pastor formally arrested on charges of ‘illegal business operations’
CSW – A prominent Protestant pastor in Wenzhou in China’s Zhejiang Province was informed that he had been formally arrested on charges of ‘illegal business operations’ for selling recordings of sermons on 30 July.
Pastor Huang Yizi was taken into custody by Pingyang Public Security alongside four other church members from Ningbo, Quzhou and Taizhou, all also in Zhejiang Province, on 26 June. All five were administratively detained the following day; two were released on bail on 25 July, while two others remain in detention; the charges against them are unclear. Another church member was reportedly detained on 17 July and remains in detention.
28.07.2025 – Linfen Golden Lampstand Church: Preacher Yang Rongli sentenced to 15 years
Bitter Winter – “Bitter Winter” reported on June 23 that on June 20, ten members of the Linfen Golden Lampstand Church, located in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, were handed severe sentences, while the fate of church leader, female preacher Yang Rongli, remained unknown. Church members have now learned that, also on June 20, the judge came to the detention center and informed Yang Rongli that she had been sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
Sentences were handed down for “fraud,” now a popular charge against dissident Christians who refuse to join the government-controlled Three Self Church.
25.07.2025 – Shenyang Youth Fellowship: Five christian leaders arrested for “cult-like” activity
Bitter Winter – In a deeply unsettling development for China’s underground Christian community, five core members of the Shenyang Youth Fellowship (sometimes referred to in English as Shenyang Celtic Christian Fellowship) in Shenyang, Liaoning province, have been criminally detained by local authorities on charges of “using a xie jiao.” The arrests, which began on June 28 and continued into July, have sparked outrage among religious freedom advocates and cast a harsh spotlight on the treatment of house churches in China.
“Xie jiao” means “organizations spreading heterodox teachings,” and the label is used against groups stigmatized as “cults.” However, the Fellowship preaches a mainline Protestant theology.
