Two members of Chengdu’s Early Rain Covenant Church were released after serving 10 days of administrative detention for attending a September 11 reading gathering, while police forcibly took Elder Yan Hong from his home on September 20 for further questioning — according to a September 23, 2026 ChinaAid report citing the church.
SOURCE CLAIMS (church, via ChinaAid):
Elder Wu Wuqing and church member Shen Xiaoqing were among 11 people detained during a September 11 reading gathering at a teahouse in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Most of those attending were over age 60, according to the church. Police took all 11 participants to Hongpailou Police Station, releasing nine earlier. Wu and Shen received 10 days of administrative detention for allegedly “illegally organizing proselytizing activities” and were fined 500 yuan and 300 yuan, respectively.
Police also warned that participants in any future Early Rain activities in Chengdu’s Wuhou District would be detained, according to the church.
Several church members who called the local mayor’s hotline to report alleged police misconduct subsequently received text messages summoning them to Hongpailou Police Station. The messages cited their involvement in “illegal religious activities” as the reason for the summonses.
On Sunday morning, September 20, officers from Hongpailou Police Station again went to the home of Elder Yan Hong and forcibly took him away. According to the church, officers have repeatedly taken Yan from his home for questioning over the past month, usually holding him until around 10 p.m. and sometimes past midnight. The frequent summonses have significantly disrupted his family life.
Background — VERIFIED FACT per ChinaAid reporting:
The latest detentions follow a renewed crackdown that began January 6, 2026, when authorities carried out coordinated raids against Early Rain Covenant Church. Police detained Elder Li Yingqiang and preacher Dai Zhichao and searched their homes. By February, both men had been formally arrested on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power and were being held at the Deyang Detention Center in Sichuan Province. Their case was returned to police for supplementary investigation in August. ChinaAid reported that Li had been permitted to meet his lawyer after approximately six and a half months in detention.
Deputy Deacon Jia Xuewei and church member Ye Fenghua were also detained during the January operation. In May, ChinaAid reported that both had been placed under residential surveillance at designated locations. By August, Jia had been formally arrested on suspicion of organizing illegal gatherings; Ye’s current legal status has not been independently confirmed.
Early Rain has faced recurring police action since a major crackdown in December 2018. Elder Qin Defu, detained during that operation, was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison for illegal business operations related to the church’s printing of religious books. He was released in December 2022.
UNCONFIRMED: whether Elder Yan Hong faces any formal detention decision; the current whereabouts and status of Ye Fenghua.
Related reading
- Early Rain Covenant Church Says 11 Elderly Christians Detained in Chengdu
- Beijing Jiaquan Church Pastors and Workers Reported Detained Days Before Xi’s Washington Visit
- Xi’an Light of Zion Pastor Jiao Yong Taken in Shanghai by Xi’an Police; Whereabouts Unknown
Sources