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Chinese authorities have intensified their crackdown on underground Christian churches, detaining multiple members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in January 2026 and demolishing church property. Such action takes place following a year of widespread arrests and ongoing restrictions on religious freedom.
Photo source: Federico Tasin, via Unsplash, September 21st, 2019.
16-01-2026 | Roberta Moisuc |Asia Team Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
On January 6th, 2026, Li Yingqiang, the leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church, was taken by the police from his home in Deyang, a small city in Sichuan province, according to a social media post made by the church. An additional eight members proceeded to be arrested on the same day, including Li’s wife, a pastor, and a lay member. The other four members were taken into custody but later released. Police in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, also summoned Early Rain member Shu Qiong, on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” while another, Wu Wuqing, was summoned, then released and warned not to be “involved in the case.”
In Wenzhou, authorities began demolishing the Yayang Church building. According to ChinaAid, a non-profit in charge of monitoring religious persecution, local authorities brought in bulldozers, cranes, and heavy machinery to start taking down part of the Yayang Church building. Hundreds of armed and special forces were also deployed to stand guard outside the building.
The Chinese government has an extensive history of restricting the right to freedom of religion. The 2005 Regulations on Religious Affairs require all religious groups to be registered and under the control of the authorities. Additionally, law enforcement conducted a crackdown on arrests consistently throughout 2025. In the middle of 2025, China convicted a dozen individuals who were affiliated with an underground Protestant church of fraud charges, with sentences ranging up to 15 years. In October 2025, nationwide crackdowns continued, with the arrests of nearly 30 pastors, preachers, and members of the Zion Protestant Church in seven cities. Lastly, between December 13th and December 18th, 2025, approximately 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant church were reportedly arrested, with at least two dozen currently remaining in detention.
The Chinese Communist Party has pressured Christians to join state-sanctioned churches led by the government for extensive periods of time, with arrests becoming more common and prompt. Rights organisations urge governments to publicly condemn the assault on religious freedom and pressure the Chinese authorities to free detained members of underground churches.
