(Wuhan, Hubei – April 10, 2025) The spring of 2025, for Christian writer Li Xuewen, living in Wuhan, Jiangcheng, was a dramatic time in his faith journey. After experiencing more than two decades of spiritual seeking, Li was baptized into Christ on the evening of March 30 in Wuhan. The peace following his baptism was quickly shattered by government authorities.
According to Li Xuewen, when he received his first communion, he was “trembling on the inside.”
“How can I, an unworthy sinner, receive the blessing of being loved by the Lord — this really is such immense grace and joy! I truly desire to take up my cross, repent, turn to righteousness, and run toward the heavenly path!”
That night, he shared a late-night meal with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who had come to witness his baptism, including Brother Tang Jingling, who came all the way from Jingzhou just to witness it and had been the one guiding him in his journey of faith.
The Arrest
However, that joy and peace were quickly shattered after baptism. On the afternoon of March 31, three unidentified individuals knocked on the door of Li Xuewen’s rental apartment along the Yangtze River in Hankou. He quickly recognized one of them as someone who had harassed his residence prior to the “Two Sessions” in late February. Subsequently, Li Xuewen was taken to a community meeting room, where a person claiming to be personnel for the neighborhood community leader told him plainly that he was not welcome in Jiang’an District. Though acknowledging Li had done nothing illegal, the personnel cited “significant pressure from above” and demanded that he immediately vacate the apartment he had been living in for six months. Li Xuewen pointed out on the spot, saying, “This is a violation of rights and an illegal eviction.” The confrontation ended in a stalemate.
The pressure to move did not stop there — it shifted to his landlord. On the afternoon of April 1, the landlord came with neighborhood Community personnel; the landlord was clearly agitated and demanded that Li Xuewen move out immediately. Li Xuewen apologized to the landlord and wished to delay moving until after the Qingming Festival, promising to communicate directly with the neighborhood community personnel. In subsequent talks with the neighborhood community office, the other party maintained its original stance. During this time, Li called the state security officer from his hometown and asked them to report his personal experience with illegal eviction to the provincial government. The officer asked if Li had connections with the Wuhan civic activist circle, subtly hinting at the possible reason behind the harassment.
This was already the sixth forced eviction Li Xuewen had experienced, and the second time he was forced to move residence since his return to Wuhan in August last year. In just six months, he was forced to move twice, leaving him unable to settle in either of Hankou’s districts. As a Christian citizen, Li Xuewen acknowledged that persecution was to be expected, but the sheer intensity of the pressure still left him feeling angry, helpless, and exhausted.
Encouragement in the midst of persecution
Considering his landlord’s situation and unwilling to continue exhausting himself against the pressure, Li Xuewen ultimately chose to move. During the Qingming holiday, he packed up his belongings and left his beloved Hankou, Jiangtan, there which are the familiar streets with Chinese parasol trees, colonial buildings, and old churches. As he departed, he silently recited the scriptures:
“You are foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11), and
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10).
In a surprising turn of events, as Li Xuewen was waiting for a vehicle as he was moving on April 6, a middle-aged woman approached the weary and discouraged writer. She handed him a paper inscribed with the word “Jesus” and told him, “Jesus loves you!” Li Xuewen saw this as a divine sign, believing that this sister in Christ evangelizing on the street was an encouragement sent by God at a moment of weakness. This sister in Christ also shared her own experiences of being persecuted for sharing the Gospel.
Encouraged, Li Xuewen carefully tucked away the gospel flyer, regained his strength, and stepped into a new journey with his luggage, determined to continue “fighting the good fight.” Li Xuewen’s story echoes the saints in Hebrews 11 who wandered in the deserts, mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground, bearing witness to the hardships and difficulties of the journey of faith. However, they also shine with the courage and resilience that Christians display in adversity, sustained by unwavering love and grace. Indeed, the world was not worthy of them.
This account is based on Christian writer Li Xuewen’s essay Departure from the River: Baptism, Persecution, and Testimony.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)
