Authorities across China have launched a renewed crackdown on Zion Church congregations, detaining church leaders, raiding homes, and shutting down gatherings in what rights group Bitter Winter described as a “coordinated police campaign aimed at dismantling the Zion Church nationwide.”
The latest wave of repression began in late May and intensified into early June. On June 1, police raided a Sunday worship service of a Beijing Zion Church branch in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, detaining all attendees. Elder Yao Yong and Brother Mao Yue were sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention, according to Bitter Winter.
Two days later, on June 3, police in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province visited the homes of church coworkers to check identification cards, a move interpreted as a show of intimidation. On May 30, local authorities in Anhui Province detained Pastor Gao Le of the Hefei Zion Church for five days and searched the homes of his congregation, confiscating Christian books.
In Chongqing, three Zion churches were forcibly closed, and police have also reportedly visited Zion congregations in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Guiyang, and other cities in a sweeping campaign that appears to be targeting all branches of the prominent house church network.
“This is not an isolated incident,” Bitter Winter stated. “It’s a nationwide effort to wipe out the Zion Church, which was once the largest house church in Beijing.”
Founded in 2007, Beijing Zion Church gained prominence not only for its size but also for its support of other persecuted groups, such as the Shouwang Church. In 2018, Chinese authorities raided and banned Zion Church, installed surveillance equipment around its facilities, and pressured landlords to terminate leases. Despite these measures, the church continued meeting in secret, often changing locations to avoid detection.
Reports also reveal that members have faced pressure to sign pledges renouncing participation in Zion congregations. Online communications have been repeatedly disrupted by government censors, and some pastors were interrogated or reportedly targeted with bribes and threats.
The crackdown has extended to long-term persecution of Christian leaders. In Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, Pastor Chang Yuguang and his wife Li Chenhui are serving seven-year sentences for printing unauthorized Christian books. Their son, Chang Shengyi, recently shared updates on their condition after visiting them for the first time in over four years. He said his father had been transferred to a safer prison ward but had previously endured torture and neglect. His mother remains in poor health, suffering from fainting spells and awaiting long-delayed medical scans.
Despite the growing persecution, Zion Church has continued to spread, with branches now operating in multiple provinces. Bitter Winter, which has closely followed the church’s plight, emphasized that while the Chinese government may aim to extinguish these unregistered house churches, their faith communities have shown remarkable resilience and courage.
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