Classification: Falun Gong practitioner from Harbin, Heilongjiang; sentenced to nine years and four months in November 2021; serving at the Heilongjiang Provincial Women’s Prison; reported in custody as of August 2026.
The case
Tang Zhuyin (唐竹茵), born in 1951, is a woman from Harbin’s Xiangfang District, Heilongjiang, and a Falun Gong practitioner. According to the case record, in early 2020 Tang and other practitioners in Harbin made phone calls to the public about Falun Gong — a practice the authorities later characterized as “anti-propaganda” (反宣) calls. On April 7–8, 2020, Tang was seized by Daqing public security officers who had come to Harbin, along with six other practitioners — Huo Xiaohui, Li Lizhuang, Ding Yan, Zhao Lihua, Jiao Qihua, and Li Yanqing. Tang was over seventy at the time. The seven were taken to Daqing and detained there; in June 2020 they were formally arrested and prosecuted, and the case was sent to the Daqing Ranghulu District Court in August 2020.
The court held four trial sessions (December 2020, December 2020, June 2021, October 2021). Reporting on the proceedings describes repeated disputes over the defense: Tang’s lawyer was notified only one day before the first session and could not attend, remote-video hearings were imposed over objections, and defense statements were repeatedly interrupted. On November 17, 2021, the court sentenced Tang to nine years and four months in prison with a 50,000 yuan fine. She appealed; the Daqing Intermediate Court upheld the verdict on December 10, 2021. On January 7, 2022, Tang and three other female practitioners were transferred to the Heilongjiang Provincial Women’s Prison.
The charge as stated in the database entry is “unknown”; the prosecution framed the case around the practitioners’ phone calls and materials.
Current status
As of August 2026, Tang was listed among the mainland prisoners classified as currently in custody. Her sentence term runs through August 7, 2029, with the Heilongjiang Provincial Women’s Prison recorded as her detention location. No release has been reported.
Note on namesakes: unrelated 唐竹茵 namesakes found in web searches are not connected to this case and are not merged here. A “Zhao Lihua (赵丽华)” person profile exists on this site from an earlier run; 赵丽华 is also the name of a co-defendant in this case (sentenced to 7 years 5 months per Minghui) — whether these are the same person has NOT been established, and no identity is assumed.
Sources: Minghui (明慧网), case report, January 27, 2022; Chinese Human Rights Defenders, Prisoners of Conscience database record 唐竹茵 / “TANG ZHU YIN” (entered 2022-01-01); Rights Defense Network (维权网), Issue 131 monthly prisoner report, August 31, 2026.
Media profile & archive: Media archive for Tang Zhuyin (唐竹茵)