Landlord’s Sudden Lease Termination
(Linfen, Shanxi Province, China – March 1, 2025) On the evening of February 28, 2025, the landlord of Li Shanshan, wife of Linfen Covenant House Church preacher Li Jie, suddenly terminated her lease early, forcing her to move out. That night, four men and three women unexpectedly appeared and stationed themselves at her front door.
When Li Shanshan asked who they were and why they were guarding her door, all seven watchers immediately fell silent and refused to answer. Li Shanshan then called the police emergency number (110), but they only responded: “Keep your door closed and locked, don’t come out.” There was no further response, and no police were dispatched.
The Arrest of Preacher Li Jie and His Family’s Struggles
Preacher Li Jie is a minister at the Linfen Covenant House Church. On August 19, 2022, he was arrested by Linfen police on suspicion of “fraud” due to his Christian faith and has been illegally detained in a detention center. The authorities have neither released him nor brought him to trial for two and a half years now. Preacher Han Xiaodong and co-worker Wang Qiang from the same church were arrested alongside Li Jie.
Linfen police first arrested them, then fabricated charges, labeling the two-thousand-year Christian tradition of voluntary offerings as fraud. Linfen police also pressured friends and relatives of the three Christians to provide false testimony, threatening that they would be arrested as accomplices if they refused. Brother Wang Qiang was subjected to torture for refusing to provide false testimony and was illegally detained for 1 year and 11 months before being released on bail under “residential surveillance at a designated location.”
Li Jie and Li Shanshan have two sons. When Li Jie was arrested, the older son was 8 years old and the younger was 5. They haven’t seen their father for almost 3 years. During these 3 years, Linfen police have continuously harassed their lives. The Religious Affairs Bureau, police station, community management office, Education Bureau, and other departments have made joint visits multiple times, forcing them to attend public schools. This has caused Li Shanshan and the children to feel extremely distressed.
Landlord’s Sudden Visit and Surveillance by Unknown Individuals
On the evening of February 28, Li Shanshan’s landlord suddenly appeared at her door in a hurry, accompanied by a man wearing a facial mask. Although the rental contract was valid until 2027, the landlord suddenly informed Li Shanshan that there was a dispute over the property, and that the court might auction it off and seal it at any time, telling Li Shanshan to move out.
Li Shanshan told the landlord: “I am a Christian, I will pray for you, and I don’t want to move. When I moved in, your home had no refrigerator, washing machine, or bed—I added all these things, and moving would be too difficult. I cherish this home, keep it clean and tidy, and never fall behind on rent.”
The landlord replied: “I’m very satisfied to have a tenant like you who takes care of the home. If the court doesn’t seal the property, I would also hope you continue to rent it to you.”
The landlord and the man inspected every room, and as they left, they muttered: “It’s really clean!”
After the landlord left, Li Shanshan discovered seven unidentified young people immediately appearing in her building hallway. From the evening of February 28 until the daytime of March 1, they took turns watching her and her family. On the morning of March 1, surveillance cameras were also installed at the elevator entrance on the first floor of Li Shanshan’s building. Whenever Li Shanshan and her children went out, the watchers stationed at the door would immediately stand up and point their phone cameras at them.
Family’s Struggles with Forced Relocation and Overcrowded Living Conditions
Before Li Jie was arrested, the family had already experienced forced relocation. After Li Jie was taken away, Li Shanshan and the children lived in her mother’s home. The place is very small, with only a 5-square-meter bedroom available for her family of three, crammed with all their belongings.
Li Shanshan’s elderly parents cannot use fans or air conditioning. While everyone could tolerate being crowded together in autumn and winter, summers were particularly unbearable. During summer, both of Li Shanshan’s children developed heat rash, with tiny red dots covering their bodies, causing painful itching.
Eventually out of desperation, Li Shanshan moved in with Chen Ying, the wife of preacher Han Xiaodong, in the latter half of 2023. Chen Ying has three children, and while it was good for the two families to support each other and live together, Han Xiaodong’s parents would also visit to see their grandchildren, making the rooms very crowded when they came.
Struggling to Find Stability in the Face of Persecution
On February 17, 2024, Li Shanshan rented an apartment in Chen Ying’s apartment complex and signed a 3-year contract. Li Shanshan always paid her rent on time and never fell behind on property management fees, water, electricity, or heating. The previously homeless Li Shanshan and her two children finally had a stable residence since preacher Li Jie’s arrest. To take care of the landlord’s furniture, Chen Ying bought tablecloths. She also bought household items for Li Shanshan. Chen Ying was especially happy that Li Shanshan had a spacious place to live. Li Shanshan took care of the house as if it were her own home.
On March 1, Li Shanshan issued a prayer request, asking everyone to pray for her and for this house, as she really did not want to move. Chen Ying often comforted her saying: “God loves you, He won’t let you move, He will let you stay here waiting for Li Jie to return.” Li Shanshan admits that sometimes her faith is strong and sometimes is weak. When strong, she believes the Heavenly Father will surely watch over them and not let them sleep on the street. But when weak, she worries about when forced relocation and homelessness will end.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Ningmeng for ChinaAid)
