Bao Guohua is a Protestant pastor from Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, serving a 14-year prison sentence after he and his wife publicly opposed the Chinese government’s campaign to remove crosses from church buildings in Zhejiang.
Before his arrest, Bao was the senior pastor of the Holy Love Christian Church in Jinhua, a government-approved church affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council (CCC) — the two officially sanctioned Protestant bodies in China. His wife, Xing Wenxiang, was also a pastor at the church.
When Zhejiang authorities began ordering crosses removed from church rooftops, Bao Guohua and Xing Wenxiang refused to remove the cross from their church and publicly criticized the policy. On July 26, 2015, the couple were detained, along with church staff. The three family members — including their son, church deacon Bao Chenxing — were seized on the same day.
The charges and the sentence
Authorities charged Bao and Xing with financial and public-order offenses: embezzlement, gathering a crowd to disturb public order, illegal business operations, and concealing accounting documents. State media, notably Zhejiang Daily, reported that police found valuables and cash at the couple’s home and accused them of misappropriating congregational donations and living “greedy lives.”
Their defense lawyer, Chen Jiangang, rejected the charges, telling the BBC and Reuters that the case was punishment for opposing the cross-removal campaign: “If they had actively cooperated with the demolition of the church’s cross, there would not be any case today.”
On February 25, 2016, the Wucheng District People’s Court of Jinhua convicted Bao Guohua and sentenced him to 14 years in prison, with confiscation of 600,000 yuan in assets and a 100,000-yuan fine. Xing Wenxiang was sentenced to 12 years with a 90,000-yuan fine and 600,000 yuan confiscated; their son Bao Chenxing received 3 years. Nine other church staff received sentences of varying lengths. The sentences were among the harshest imposed on clergy in China in recent years.
Custody status
Bao Guohua remains in prison, according to reporting from May 2026. His wife, Xing Wenxiang, was released in November 2025 after a two-year reduction in her sentence; China Aid reported in May 2026 that she has struggled since her release with the loss of her home, ministry, and income, and with the burden of the court-imposed fine. Bao’s expected release is in 2029.
The documented public record of this case is preserved in the companion Media Profile & Archive.
Key facts at a glance
- Name: Bao Guohua (包国华 — Chinese characters as transliterated in Chinese-language coverage of the case; not independently confirmed)
- Role: Senior Pastor, Holy Love Christian Church, Jinhua, Zhejiang (TSPM/CCC-affiliated)
- Family: wife Xing Wenxiang (pastor; released November 2025); son Bao Chenxing (deacon; 3-year sentence)
- Detained: July 26, 2015 — after opposing forced cross removals
- Sentenced: February 25, 2016 — 14 years, Wucheng District People’s Court, Jinhua
- Convictions: embezzlement; gathering a crowd to disturb public order; illegal business operations; concealing accounting documents
- Current custody: reported in prison as of May 2026
A note on identity
This profile concerns the Jinhua pastor sentenced in 2016. It must not be conflated with Bao Tong (鲍彤), the 1989 political-reform official, who is a different person with different Chinese characters.