(Xiamen, China — July 19, 2025) In late June (June 26), the family of former Early Rain Covenant Church elder Su Bingsen once again faced government-enforced eviction in Xiamen. The direct cause of this action was their decision to homeschool their children. Lü Xiaocui, Secretary of the Yihai Community, not only led police officers, community work staffs, officials from the Education Bureau, and the Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs to drive the family out of their residence, demanding that they send their children to public schools, but also instructed local real estate agents not to rent any property to them. Additionally, surveillance cameras were installed at the entrance of Elder Su’s home, and individuals were assigned to harass the family by monitoring, tracking, and filming the family daily.
Background of Elder Su Bingsen and His Philosophy on Education
Su Bingsen, an elder of Early Rain Covenant Church and the president of Huaxi Humanities Academy, is one of the key advocates for classical Christian education in mainland China. He has long promoted and practiced Christian education, believing that the secular model of public schooling fails to meet the needs of Christian families in shaping their children’s souls and guiding them to seek the meaning of life.
As early as 2012, during the preparatory meeting for Early Rain’s school, he publicly warned Christian parents who sent their children to public schools, saying that such a choice was tantamount to “collaborating with the frightening reality and pre-arranged order of life and education established by the modern state through its power and taxes, to bully your children and their souls.” He emphasized that no matter how powerful the state may be, it has no right to shape the soul, nor can it bear the responsibility for life’s meaning and values.
Elder Su Bingsen has previously faced government crackdowns due to his faith-based activities. During the “12.9” crackdown on Early Rain Covenant Church in 2018, he was detained by police on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and held at a detention center in Chengdu until he was released on bail on April 19, 2019. Though originally from Chengdu, police exiled him to Xiamen to prevent him from continuing his leadership role in the church. It is said that during his more than 100 days in detention, memorizing the Westminster Catechism became his greatest source of spiritual comfort.
Two months after Elder Su’s arrest, his wife was forced by their landlord, acting under police coercion and in violation of their lease, to move out overnight. Even when she found new housing, that landlord soon received threats. Half a year later, left with no choice, the Su family left Chengdu and relocated to Xiamen, hoping to live quietly with their children. Now, over six years later, their previously cooperative landlord has again come under pressure, forcing the family to face yet another round of eviction.
The Su Family’s Homeschooling Practice
Both Elder Su and his wife, Xu Miaozhuang, are highly educated, with Elder Su holding a doctorate. They have four children, and to ensure their children’s physical and emotional well-being, as well as to have sufficient sleep and engage in outdoor activities, with the companionship of their parents, while avoiding becoming casualties of China’s “exam-driven education machine,” they chose homeschooling. Their relatives, trusting this approach, also sent four children to receive education at the Su family’s house. According to Elder Su’s wife, these children love reading, enjoy swimming and outdoor sports, and do not indulge in smartphones or gaming. Compared to children in public schools, they appear happier and healthier.
In response to the government’s forced eviction, Mrs. Su questioned: “Do parents like us not have the right to rent a home? Do parents like us not have the right to educate our children? Do parents like us not have the right to love our children?”
Elder Su’s wife, Xu Miaozhuang, has made public their forced eviction through social media, emphasizing: “No one wants to wander the streets! Family stability is the foundation of social stability!” She expressed reluctance to comment too much on Secretary Lü Xiaocui of the Yihai Community, stating that Lü “has neither a mother’s heart nor has she served the people,” adding that she “thinks she is working hard to climb upward, but when she climbs, she cannot foresee her end, she could fall at any moment.”
One netizen commented: “Education should take multiple forms, and parents have the right to make their own choices. Compulsory education exists to protect children’s right to education, and clearly, their children are not deprived of schooling. Using this regulation to suppress educational diversity is inherently evil.”
Community Response and Subsequent Developments
The Yihai Community not only forced the Su family to move but also compelled the family of Sister Shuixiu, who lived in the same neighborhood, to relocate in the same manner. Shuixiu had posted a video on her public WeChat account showing Secretary Lü Xiaocui of the Yihai Community, leading police and a large group of officials to besiege and drive out her family. However, the video was swiftly removed from all platforms.
To defend her family’s fundamental rights, Xu Miaozhuang filed complaints on June 30 and July 13 with the Meilin Street Subdistrict Office of the Tong’an District People’s Government in Xiamen, against Secretary Lü Xiaocui of the Yihai Community for leading the eviction effort. On the afternoon of July 14, the Meilin Subdistrict Office issued the following response:
After verification, the community’s entry into homes to register resident information, increase promotion of national policies, and take photos for work records falls within the normal scope of community work and does not constitute malicious harassment.
The community conducts frequent inspections into homes because nearby residents reported that several children in this household were not attending school during regular school hours, violating the Nine-Year Compulsory Education Law; therefore, the community increased its patrols to prevent potential child trafficking issues.
The community’s communication with the landlord is part of understanding situations with the residents and tenants and providing routine feedback to ensure community safety and stability. Landlords have the right to rent their properties to any law-abiding citizen. If any illegal activity occurs, landlords must actively cooperate in addressing it; there is no situation where pressure is placed on the landlords.
On July 17, a leader from the Meilin Subdistrict Office responsible for overseeing the community visited Xu Miaozhuang in person to understand the situation and inquire about her appeal. Mrs. Su stated clearly:
“I have only one appeal: no relocation, no forced eviction, harmony, and the right to live and work in peace!”
At present, Mrs. Su is searching for a new residence, and the family’s future remains uncertain.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Ningmeng of ChinaAid)
