Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest October 01-15
General
10.10.2025 – “Xinjiang is a wonderful land”: China’s new White Paper recasts control as cultural progress
Bitter Winter – Coinciding with Xi Jinping’s visit to Xinjiang to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the so-called autonomous region, on September 25, 2025, the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China released a new White Paper titled “The Successful Practice of the Party’s Xinjiang Governance Strategy in the New Era” . The document, published on the official government portal, marks a significant evolution in the Chinese Communist Party’s narrative about the region. It shifts away from the language of counterterrorism and stability maintenance that dominated previous White Papers (2019, 2021). Instead, it presents Xinjiang as a “wonderful land,” a showcase of “modernization,” “ethnic unity,” and “cultural integration.”
Buddhists
06.10.2025 – Buddhism with Chinese characteristics? “Metamorphosis of Buddhism in China’s new era”
Bitter Winter – In “Metamorphosis of Buddhism in China’s New Era: Between State, Culture and Religion” (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025), editors Yoshiko Ashiwa, David L. Wank, and Ji Zhe assemble a rich tapestry of essays that illuminate the evolving landscape of Chinese Buddhism in the post-Mao era. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and multidisciplinary expertise, the volume offers a panoramic view of how Buddhist institutions, practices, and identities have adapted to the shifting contours of state ideology, market forces, and cultural nationalism.
The book’s strength lies in its diversity. Eleven chapters traverse temples, nunneries, scenic areas, mega-expos, and lay communities, revealing the ingenuity with which Buddhist actors navigate the constraints and opportunities of China’s “New Era.” The contributors—anthropologists, sociologists, historians, and religious studies scholars—bring granular insight to phenomena often flattened by political discourse.
Protestants
14.10.2025 – Taiyuan Xuncheng reformed Church raided again: 15 detained,
including infants
Bitter Winter – Bitter Winter previously reported in 2024 on the ongoing harassment of Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church, an independent Protestant congregation in Shanxi Province. On October 12, 2025, the church was again targeted during a Sunday morning worship service.
Approximately 30 plainclothes officers and over 10 uniformed police raided the church premises as Pastor An Yankui was concluding his sermon. Officers seized the pulpit, forcibly removed Pastor An, and detained several church workers serving backstage. Congregants were ordered to surrender their mobile phones and submit personal information.
14.10.2025 – China detains dozens of underground church pastors in crackdown
Reuters – Police in China detained dozens of pastors of one of its largest underground churches over the weekend, a church spokesperson and relatives said, in the biggest crackdown on Christians since 2018.
The detentions, which come amid renewed China-U.S. tensions after Beijing dramatically expanded rare earth export controls last week, drew condemnation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called on Sunday for the pastors’ immediate release.
13.10.2025 – Coordinated arrests sweep Zion Church: Nearly 30 pastors and co-workers detained across China
Bitter Winter – Since October 9, nearly 30 pastors and co-workers affiliated with the Beijing Zion Church, whose persecution “Bitter Winter” had reported previously, have been detained or have lost contact with their families. The arrests span multiple provinces and cities, suggesting a centrally orchestrated operation targeting the church’s national network.
The crackdown began on the afternoon of October 9, when Pastor Wang Lin—responsible for the Yangtze River Delta pastoral area—was apprehended by police at Shenzhen Bao’an Airport. His family has received no information about his whereabouts, and authorities have refused to disclose the location of his detention.
12.10.2025 – China detains prominent underground Pastor, drawing rebuke from U.S.
Wsj – Under intense pressure from authorities in China, Ezra Jin persisted for years in building one of the nation’s largest underground Christian churches, with branches in 40 cities across the country. Online prayer groups he helped lead at times reached 10,000 people.
Even after his wife relocated to the safety of the U.S. to be with their three children—all American citizens—Jin stayed behind in China to lead Zion Church, aware of the risks he faced.
07.10.2025 -Shenyang Youth Fellowship: four released, one rearrested
Bitter Winter – On July 25, 2025, Bitter Winter reported the arrest in June of five Christian leaders affiliated with the Shenyang Youth Fellowship, a house church network active in Liaoning province. The arrests were carried out under Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code, which criminalizes “using a xie jiao organization to undermine the enforcement of law.”
The five individuals— Pastor Mingdao, Brother Wang Xiangchao, Brother Shao, Sister Liu, and Sister Gu—were detained in Shenyang and accused of organizing unauthorized religious gatherings and promoting teachings deemed “cult-like” by authorities.
02.10.2025 – Shenyang Sai Er Te Young adults fellowship: three christians arrested again, Pastor’s wife also detained
China Aid – Following the recent re-arrest of Brother Wang Xiangchao of the Sai Er Te Young Adults Fellowship, Brothers Shao and Sister Liu, as well as Sister Gu of the fellowship, were also successively taken back into custody by the police between September 26 and 29, 2025. They face the exact charges as Wang Xiangchao, accused of “using a cult organization to undermine the enforcement of law.”
The three were initially arrested on June 29 of this year and later released on bail pending trial on July 31. However, during the bail period, they continued to endure constant surveillance and harassment. Now their re-detention has come as a shock. Meanwhile, Pastor Mingdao’s wife, Sister Hua Zhao, was also taken from her home by police early in the morning of September 30.
Falun Gong
13.10.2025 – Over 100 Falun Gong practitioners jailed at Shandong Province prison, average age 72
Minghui – The 11th Division of Shandong Province Prison, under director Zheng Jie, was specifically set up as a brainwashing center to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith. Over 100 practitioners are currently detained there and subjected to various torture methods for upholding their faith. The average age of these practitioners is 72, including more than 20 who are 80 or older.
Newly-admitted regular inmates are assigned to the prison’s Training Team. Falun Gong practitioners, however, are directly sent to the 11th Division, where they are divided into groups of four or five, with each group held in one cell and monitored by two inmates. More than 40 inmates are tasked with monitoring and “transforming” practitioners. The prison guards generally do not torture the practitioners themselves, but instigate the inmates to do so.
10.10.2025 – Chinese Police fabricate evidence to frame Falun Gong practitioners
Minghui – After the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong, the police have been working closely with the procuratorates and courts to sentence the practitioners to prison. When they couldn’t collect enough evidence to frame the practitioners, they fabricated evidence to send the practitioners to prison.
Below are a few select cases.
Case 1: After Nearly Three Years of Prior Incarceration, Liaoning Man Gets Another 4.5 Years for Practicing Falun Gong
Mr. Lyu Qing, of Fushun City, Liaoning Province, was arrested outside of his home on October 19, 2023. The police summoned his wife to the Dongzhou Police Station later that day and forced her to sign four sheets of blank paper.
09.10.2025 – Shanxi Woman jailed for posting information about Falun Gong on social media
Minghui – A 51-year-old woman in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, was recently taken into custody to serve a 3.5-year term she was given in 2023 for her faith in Falun Gong.
Ms. Li Huimin, a teacher, was arrested on June 14, 2022, by police in Luoyang City, Henan Province. Three other practitioners were also arrested on the same day, including Mr. Cai Binyang, 64, of Shangyou County, Jiangxi Province; Mr. Wu Lianan, 53 of Xiamen City, Fujian Province; and Mr. Li Shihai, of Pingdu City, Shandong Province.
08.10.2025 – Guangdong Woman goes missing for more than nine months
Minghui – A 57-year-old woman in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, has been missing since January 2025 because she practices Falun Gong.
Ms. Huang Qian’s family lost contact with her in early January 2025. Her neighbors told them that she was taken away from home by the police. When the family went to the local police station to inquire about her case, the officer on duty refused to reveal her detention location, but said, “She has gone to the place where she belongs.”
