(Anhui — February 18, 2026) On this Spring Festival, a time traditionally reserved for family reunions, Pastor Zhang Sen (张森) of Maizhong Reformed Church (麦种归正教会) has been unable to reunite with his family. Since July 9, 2025, when he was taken away while visiting a friend and later brought back to Fuyang, Pastor Zhang Sen has remained under criminal detention and investigation for prosecution, without any public trial. Unable to spend the New Year with her husband, his wife, Xu Chao (徐超), chose instead to dance outside the high walls of the prison, expressing her deep longing and protest.
Pastor Zhang Sen and his church have long persisted in remaining a house church, refusing to join the government’s Three-Self Patriotic Church system. As a result, they have for years faced surveillance, harassment, and suppression by local authorities. Church members have reportedly been fitted with electronic tracking devices, had surveillance equipment installed in their homes, experienced unannounced power cutoffs, and seen their petitions to the government repeatedly rejected.
On the bitterly cold morning of the first day of the Chinese New Year, footage circulated on social media showing Xu Chao dancing in front of the detention facility. Through her movements, she expressed profound longing for her husband while denouncing what she described as the repression of religious freedom. The dance was not only a personal outpouring of emotion, but also became a voice accusing authorities of suppressing believers under charges such as “illegal organization” and “illegal assembly.”
Children from Maizhong Reformed Church also stood outside the detention center to send New Year greetings, saying: “Dad, Happy New Year!”
This reflects the broader reality in today’s China, where many men and women devoted to the Christian faith face intense pressure. For refusing to join official religious organizations and insisting on independent worship, Christians may be accused of “illegal gatherings” or “illegal organizations” and face criminal detention and prosecution. Although freedom of religious belief is stated in Article 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, in practice, unregistered church gatherings are often treated as dangerous activities and suppressed.
The most radiant dance pierces the darkest iron bars; the gentlest New Year’s vow becomes the most piercing accusation.
During this season of peace and celebration, families without fathers returning home, without husbands reuniting with their loved ones, are but a microcosm of countless Christian families across China.
Citing “maintenance of order,” authorities restrict unregistered religious gatherings and suppress groups outside the official system, forcing thousands of believers to be separated from their families.
Such treatment of religious believers is not merely an issue of law enforcement, but strikes at the core of freedom of belief and human rights protections. Tyranny may one day pass, but the wounds of these families still await redress.
