(SHANXI PROVINCE, CHINA — Oct. 20, 2026) — A house church preacher in northern China has been released after 15 days of administrative detention, the latest in a series of police actions against members of his congregation over several years.
An Yankui of Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church returned home Oct. 14. Police in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, had taken him from his residence Sept. 29 on suspicion of “organizing illegal religious activities.”
Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church remains an independent Protestant congregation, adhering to its Reformed beliefs and refusing to join the government-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Church leaders and members have faced repeated surveillance, disrupted worship services and detentions amid pressure to accept state religious oversight.
In December 2020, police detained An for 15 days on the same allegation of “organizing illegal religious activities” and fined him 1,000 yuan, according to earlier ChinaAid reporting.
Following a Sunday worship service on Nov. 21, 2021, the Fenyang Public Security Bureau detained An and church co-worker Zhang Chenghao on suspicion of illegally crossing the national border. Authorities formally arrested them the following month.
The case arose from their attendance at a Christian conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ChinaAid reported that the two traveled using valid Chinese passports, but a court later found that they had misrepresented their reasons for entering and exiting China.
In a verdict issued Nov. 3, 2022, the Fenyang City People’s Court sentenced An to one year in prison and fined him 5,000 yuan. Zhang received a one-year sentence and a 4,000-yuan fine. Both completed their sentences Nov. 21, 2022.
An and Zhang were again among 11 church members detained after police raided a Sunday worship service on Oct. 12, 2025. All 11 were released Oct. 28 after serving 15 days of administrative detention.
An has returned home to recuperate following his latest detention. His case reflects broader international concerns about religious freedom in China, particularly the pressure and police actions faced by house churches that seek to worship independently of state control.
Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.