XI’AN, September 17, 2026 — The criminal case against Light of Zion Church pastor Tang Bingyi is moving toward trial after his family issued a public prayer letter on September 13 and a pretrial conference was held September 15.
ChinaAid reported the development on September 17, but the source chronology begins with Tang’s family. According to the family letter, Tang remains detained and faces a “fraud†charge as the prosecution advances. His defense lawyers, Zeng Yue and Luo Tao, plan to seek an acquittal.
ChinaAid identifies Tang as 40 years old and reported that he spent his 40th birthday in detention on September 8. ChinaAid, citing the family letter, reported that Tang was initially detained on suspicion of “using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law” and that the alleged offense was later changed to “fraud” as the case entered the prosecution stage.
Family statement precedes NGO report
The September 13 family letter described recent case developments, Tang’s ministry background and the family’s circumstances. It was issued before the September 15 pretrial conference and before ChinaAid’s September 17 report. FreeChina.live therefore records the family communication as the originating public source for this update.
Tang is one of three Light of Zion Church leaders facing fraud charges, together with church founder Pastor Gao Quanfu and Gao’s wife, Pang Yu. Supporters contend that the prosecution treats voluntary church offerings as criminal fraud. That characterization is an attributed claim and has not been independently established here.
Source: ChinaAid, September 17, 2026, reporting and reproducing information from Tang Bingyi’s family prayer letter dated September 13.
Verification note: The family statement and ChinaAid report establish the reported procedural chronology. Claims about the merits or motivation of the prosecution remain attributed to the parties making them.
Related case page: Xi’an Light of Zion Church cases.