Li Yingqiang (李英强) is an elder of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church (秋雨圣约教会) and a founder of the Liren Rural Library. He has been detained since January 6, 2026 in the church’s “1·6 case” and is reported held at the Deyang City Detention Center in Sichuan.
Background
Rights Defense Network reporting says Li was born June 23, 1979 in Qingshi Town, Qichun County, Hubei. He worked in publishing and research and founded Liren Rural Library in 2007. The library developed branches in multiple provinces before authorities ordered its branches to cease operations by 2014. Li became a Christian in 2010, studied theology, and was later ordained an elder of Early Rain Covenant Church.
Earlier detentions
Li was detained during the authorities’ December 2018 crackdown on Early Rain Covenant Church. Reporting says he was criminally detained on December 11, 2018 on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” then released on bail pending trial in August 2019. In September 2024, he and several other church leaders were administratively detained for 14 days after a worship gathering, according to monitoring reports.
January 2026 detention
On January 6, 2026, police carried out a coordinated operation against Early Rain Covenant Church. CHRD reported that Li, his wife Zhang Xinyue, and other church members were taken into custody; the couple’s two minor children spent the night at a police station. CHRD said it was still seeking additional corroboration at the time of its alert.
ChinaAid reported that Li’s family received formal arrest notice on February 12, 2026, with the suspected offense stated as “inciting subversion of state power.” ChinaAid reported that Li was held at Deyang Detention Center.
Rights Defense Network reported on August 26, 2026 that Li and preacher Dai Zhichao had been transferred to the procuratorate on July 12 on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” and “organizing an illegal gathering,” and that lawyers were later told the case had been returned for further investigation.
Current status
Detained, pretrial. Issue 131 of the Rights Defense Network monthly report, dated August 31, 2026, lists Li Yingqiang in the Sichuan group of people detained without a reported sentence. No trial or sentence was reported in the sources used for this profile.
Sources: CHRD, January 9, 2026; ChinaAid, February 12, 2026; Rights Defense Network, August 26, 2026; Issue 131.