Ren Daoyun: Crime of hospitality

China Aid Association

“You can believe in Buddhism, Daoism or Islam, but we don’t allow you to follow the South China Christian Church.”

On August 2, 2005, police knocked on the door of the home of Ren Daoyun (55) in Zaoyang City. Inside, approximately 50 Christians, including two American seminary students, were eating breakfast. When Ren’s little daughter opened the door, more than 10 plainclothes police officers forced their way inside. Before long, the 10 had become 90.
Though they had no warrants, the police searched the house and arrested many of the women, also forcibly detaining the two American–all in flagrant violation of Chinese law.
When Ren asked to see their identification, they grabbed her by the hair and pushed her away. During the search, police confiscated 3,400 Yuan (US$440), a 40,000 Yuan (US$5,172) bank deposit slip, a telephone and more than 1,000 Christian books.
On the first day of her interrogation, conducted by People’s Republic of China (PRC) officials Qui Yunfei and Xiao Li, Ren’s face was beaten until it swelled and bled. They cuffed her right thumb and yanked her around by it for more than half an hour.
“You can believe in Buddhism, Daoism or Islam,” they told her, “Å“but we don’t
allow you to follow the South China Christian Church.”�
On the second day, her interrogators threatened to confiscate her home and pull out her eyelashes. They continued to beat Ren’s face. Qui burned her mouth with his cigarette and beat her with his shoe.
No detention certificate was ever produced, nor was she ever told what crime she had been charged with.
Twelve days after the arrest, all the women except Ren were released.
On August 17, Ren’s husband went to the police station to ask why she was still being held. In response, PRC officer Zhang Xujin demanded 10,000 Yuan (US$1,293). Her husband was able to raise only 8,000 (US$1,034) and gave it Zhang. But he received no receipt, and Ren was not released.
A week later, Ren began a hunger strike, because her detention term had legally expired.
The PRC agreed to release her on the 27th. But when Ren’s daughter came to pick her up, Xiao Li demanded 2,000 Yuan (US$259), again with no receipt.
All told, Ren was detained for 25 days, and her family was blackmailed out of 10,000 Yuan (US$1,293).