(Yunnan, China – May 11, 2026) On a Sunday in mid-April, as believers from Kunming Century New Town Church (世纪新城教会) gathered for prayer, a sudden raid shattered the peace of their worship. A month later, the aftershocks of the operation have yet to subside.
According to informed sources and family members, since being taken away by police from the gathering site on April 12, the church’s preacher Yu Shaolin (虞少林), along with congregants Li Qin (李勤) and Luo Ping (罗平), have been secretly detained. Although they are currently being held at the Guandu District Detention Center in Kunming, a cloud of legal uncertainty remains: family members state that they have yet to receive any formal arrest notice or written documentation, nor do they know what charges, if any, have been brought against them.
This approach has become the norm in recent years toward unregistered house churches in China.
The operation targeting the religious group did not end with the detentions. Over the following days, local police carried out sweeping investigations into members of the church.
Multiple believers described an oppressive atmosphere during interrogations at local police stations. They stated that officers employed typical “high-pressure tactics,” repeatedly questioning the church’s organizational structure and financial flows, while also attempting to cause division amongst church members through psychological pressure.
“They threatened that ‘those inside have already confessed,’” said one believer who requested anonymity out of safety concerns. “They said that if we did not cooperate, it would be considered resisting the law and we would be prosecuted.”
Even the most physically vulnerable were not spared. Two female believers who were undergoing treatment at the hospital were forcibly taken to the police station for questioning. This escalation in enforcement intensity reflects the authorities’ heightened vigilance toward religious social networks.
Among those detained, the condition of 52-year-old Yu Shaolin is particularly concerning. Yu has long suffered from multiple chronic illnesses, including severe varicose veins and impaired liver and kidney function. His family fears that the detention center’s medical conditions and the intensity of interrogations may worsen his health.
Yu Shaolin’s wife, Siqi (思琪), is also in poor health, suffering from an adrenal tumor and hypertension. For this family, the preacher’s absence is not only an emotional blow but also a test of survival.
“His body is very weak, but he believes this is his calling,” said a believer familiar with Yu Shaolin.
In recent years, China has intensified its regulation of unregistered religious groups. The experience of Kunming Century New Town Church reflects a broader pattern of religious governance. By accusing churches of “illegal fundraising” or “disrupting social order,” authorities can dismantle them within a legal framework.
However, for the believers of Kunming Century New Town Church, legal judgment is not the end. In an internal appeal letter circulating on social media, they encouraged one another with scriptures from the Bible, Psalms: “For he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13). They chose to trust in a higher justice.
Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid