General
12.03.2026 – The Battle of Lufeng: A city revolts against a ban on religious fireworks
Bitter Winter – In China, fireworks serve as a political tool. The government celebrates itself with dazzling displays during Party anniversaries and state ceremonies. However, these same authorities frequently restrict or ban fireworks during religious events or local traditions. This contradiction is widely disliked, and in early March, it sparked an unexpected revolt in Lufeng, Guangdong.
Thousands of residents faced off against police, using their most powerful tool: the smartphone. They recorded every confrontation, threatening to reveal the repression both within China and beyond. What began as a ban on firecrackers became a rare instance of collective resistance
11.03.2026 – China, you’re never too old or too young to fight “cults and illegal religions”
adhrrf.org – In Lanzhou, children and senior citizens are recruited to become “anti-xie-jiao experts.”
China’s anti-religious propaganda has always been ambitious. Still, its latest campaign shows a new approach: no one is too young or too old to be pulled into the fight against xie jiao, literally “organizations spreading heterodox teachings,” now increasingly used to designate “cults and illegal religions.”
Toddlers, get ready. Grandparents, lace up your shoes. In Lanzhou, Gansu’s capital, the struggle for ideological purity now reaches from the schoolyard to the morning exercise group. The outcomes are, depending on your sense of humor, either very alarming or unintentionally funny.
06.03.2026 – Persecuting folk religion: Two cases of repression in rural China
Bitter Winter – Two recent incidents in Guangdong and Jiangxi, though happening hundreds of kilometers apart, show a clear trend: the Chinese authorities are tightening their control over grassroots religious and communal activities. What was once viewed as harmless customs—like deity processions, ancestral halls, and seasonal rituals—is now increasingly seen as a threat to be managed or eliminated.
In Chaozhou’s Changmei Village, Guangdong, the Ying Laoye procession was meant to be a typical part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. For generations, villagers have carried the statue of a local deity out of the temple and through the streets to bless their community. However, on the evening of March 2, police officers blocked the temple gates, intent on stopping the ritual.
Buddhists
10.03.2026 – China-appointed Panchen vows proactive move to Sinicize Tibetan Buddhism at annual two-sessions meet in Beijing
Bitter Winter – Although the difference between Tibetan and Chinese cultures is stark and obvious, and Tibetan Buddhism cannot not be more different from China’s, Beijing has been vigorously moving to change that by trying to assimilate the Himalayan territory in keeping with its false political narrative about Tibet being an integral part of China since ancient times.
In keeping with this Sinicization drive, Gyaincain Norbu, appointed by China to replace the abducted, Dalai Lama-recognized 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima way back in 1995, has said Mar 8 that Tibetan Buddhism is “an important component of China’s traditional culture” and should be seen to appear as such.
Protestants
13.03.2026 – Two members of Yayang Church taken away, families allege illegal procedural conduct by authorities
China Aid – In the Wenzhou region of eastern China, once hailed as the “Jerusalem of China,” the religious atmosphere has once again plunged into tension. According to local Christians and informed sources, two members of the Yayang Church in Taishun County, Zhejiang Province, were taken away by police over the past two weeks, and their current whereabouts remain unknown.
These arrests, occurring on February 26 and March 9, 2026, are viewed as the latest development in the ongoing pressure on Christianity in the local area. It is reported that both arrested Christians are male members of the local Taishun County church (Assembly). Despite multiple visits by family members to the local law enforcement agency to inquire about the location of detention and specific charges, they have received only endless evasions in response.
09.03.2026 – Criminalizing faith practices: Xi’an church leaders face fraud charges and harsh prison conditions
China Aid – As the crackdown on unofficial churches intensifies, three clergy members from Light of Zion Church in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, are facing a dual crisis of legal and health challenges after 10 months in detention.
According to information released by church members and families this past Saturday, 69-year-old Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife, along with 40-year-old Pastor Tang, have spent the harsh winter in the Beilin District Detention Center in Xi’ an.
Although officials have charged them with suspicion of “fraud,” legal experts and human rights activists point out that the core of the case lies in how Chinese authorities are criminalizing the traditional Christian practice of “offerings and tithes.”
08.03.2026 – Christian missionary Dong Yanmei still detained despite expired legal deadline
adhrrf.org – Her case is based on a false accusation of “organizing others to cross the national border illegally.”
The case of Beijing house church missionary Dong Yanmei, known among Christians as Ruhamah, has taken a troubling turn. Although the legally allowed period for preliminary detention has expired, authorities in Mianyang, Sichuan, have not released her, and her family and lawyer have received no explanation.
Dong, a native of Mianyang and a longtime Christian missionary at a Beijing house church, was arrested on March 23, 2025, along with three other believers. All four had previously traveled abroad using valid Chinese passports to visit Malaysia, Thailand, and South Korea’s Jeju Island, which do not require visas for Chinese citizens. They also attended Christian gatherings during their trip.
05.03.2026 – The distorted faith of China’s three‑self Church: But why do some join?
Bitter Winter – Under the Chinese Communist Party’s sweeping campaign of “Sinicization” and its strict control over religion, the “Three‑Self Patriotic Church” has become the only legal and publicly accessible venue for Christian activity in mainland China.
According to official statistics, it claims between 20 and 30 million believers. Yet under institutional requirements that place “patriotism and loyalty to the Party” above “love for God and love for others,” the religious lives of these believers fall into three heartbreaking categories.
The Church of Almighty God
08.03.2026 – China’s Methodical Crackdown on the Church of Almighty God: A Record Year of Persecution
adhrrf.org – The Church of Almighty God (CAG) released its 2026 annual persecution report on February 13, documenting the most severe year of state repression since the organization began systematic record-keeping in 2017.
The report reveals alarming statistics: 19,191 arrests, 2,291 prison sentences, 23 deaths attributed to persecution, and approximately USD 47 million in confiscated assets. These figures demonstrate a coordinated institutional elimination campaign rather than isolated enforcement actions.
The Church of Almighty God (CAG) released its annual persecution report on February 13, 2026, documenting what its data indicate was the most severe year of state repression since the church began publishing systematic records in 2017.
Falun Gong
14.03.2026 – Hebei man denied family visits since prison admission in 2019
Minghui – Since Mr. Tian Xingbao was admitted to the Baoding Prison in 2019 to serve a ten-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong, the resident of Shenzhou City, Hebei Province has been denied visits with his family.
Mr. Tian was only allowed to call his family once a month. However, his family hasn’t received any calls from him for the past six months. They continued to make deposits to his commissary account to purchase daily necessities, but they cannot confirm whether he is allowed access to the account.
13.03.2026 – Jilin Woman in her 70s dies after years of persecution for practicing Falun Gong
Minghui – A woman in Shulan City, Jilin Province, died on March 2, 2026, after enduring decades of persecution for her faith in Falun Gong. Ms. Guo Xiuqing was in her 70s.
Ms. Guo previously suffered from various diseases, including cirrhosis, cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), pancreatitis, angina pectoris (chest pain due to insufficient blood and oxygen supply to the heart), and migraines. She also became irritable, and even loud talking by her family would set her off. After she took up Falun Gong on May 8, 1998, she made a miraculous recovery. Both she and her family had smiles on their faces, and laughter was again heard in their house.
After the Chinese Communist Party launched a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong in July 1999, Ms. Guo held firm to her faith and was repeatedly arrested.
09.03.2026 – Shandong man given second four-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong
Minghui – A 58-year-old man in Changle County, Shandong Province has been jailed to serve time for his faith in Falun Gong.
Mr. Meng Xianqiang was arrested on July 29, 2025. He was later sentenced to a four-year prison term, and admitted to the Shandong Province Prison in the capital of Jinan on February 6, 2026. Details about his indictment, trial, and sentencing aren’t available.
Mr. Meng has been repeatedly targeted since the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, for upholding his faith. He has been subjected to relentless torture while serving an unknown labor camp term and a prior four-year prison term.
04.03.2026 – 77-year-old woman’s whereabouts unknown since a court hearing in 2020
Minghui – Ms. Wang Guilan’s family has not received any official updates about her, after the 76-year-old woman in Pei County, Jiangsu Province, was tried by a court in Shanghai on March 6, 2020, because she practices Falun Gong.
They don’t even know where she is being held and are calling on anyone with information about her to come forward.
Ms. Wang was staying at her daughter’s home in Shanghai, and was reported by the community janitor Zhang Xiujin for putting up Falun Gong information on utility poles and walls on September 24, 2019. The police soon tracked her down through surveillance camera footage.
They broke into her daughter’s home and arrested her that day. Her Falun Gong books and informational materials were confiscated.
