NORTHERN CHINA — September 29, 2026 — Police detained house church preacher An Yankui at his residence Tuesday morning after summoning him for investigation on suspicion of “organizing illegal religious activities,” according to Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church and a police document reviewed by ChinaAid.
The church said officers from the Taiyuan Public Security Bureau took An into custody at approximately 10:30 a.m. Sept. 29. His precise detention status and how long authorities intend to hold him were not immediately clear.
A summons issued by the Taiyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau names An and states that he is suspected of “organizing illegal religious activities.” It directs him to report to the bureau’s law-enforcement case-handling center for questioning.
The document cites Article 96 of China’s Public Security Administration Punishments Law, a procedural provision governing police summonses for investigation. It allows authorities to use a compulsory summons when someone refuses or evades one without legitimate reason.
The latest action in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, follows years of police actions involving An and other members of Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church, an unregistered Protestant congregation operating outside China’s state-sanctioned Three-Self church system.
An has previously faced the same allegation. On Dec. 31, 2020, police from Taiyuan’s Xiaodian District detained him for 15 days for “organizing illegal religious activities” and fined him 1,000 yuan, according to previous ChinaAid reporting.
Repeated detentions and imprisonment
After a Sunday worship service on Nov. 21, 2021, the Fenyang Public Security Bureau criminally detained An and church coworker Zhang Chenghao on suspicion of “illegally crossing the national border.” Authorities formally arrested them the following month.
The case arose after An and Zhang attended a Christian conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ChinaAid previously reported that they traveled using valid Chinese passports, while the court later said they had fabricated their reasons for exiting and entering China.
A Fenyang City People’s Court verdict issued Nov. 3, 2022, 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 Xuncheng Reformed Church members placed in administrative detention after police raided an Oct. 12, 2025, Sunday worship service. All 11 were released Oct. 28 after serving 15 days.
ChinaAid has documented repeated raids, summonses and detentions involving the Taiyuan congregation and its members since at least 2020.
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.