The Yayang church case (雅阳教会) is not an isolated incident, but is embedded in the broader context of Zhejiang’s large-scale “cross demolition” campaign that began in 2014. Wenzhou has long been known as “China’s Jerusalem,” with Christians accounting for roughly 10 percent of the population and a dense network of grassroots churches. The Assembly has 12 churches in Yayang, scattered within a half-hour drive of one another. They adhere to the “Local Church” tradition of Watchman Nee, emphasizing piety, the practice of women covering their heads, fundamentalist beliefs, and independence and self-governance. This tradition originated in a local revivalist movement in the early 20th century but, in recent years, has been regarded as a form of “passive resistance” to official religious policy.

​​Policy Origins

The 2014 “Three Rectifications, One Demolition” campaign (renovation of old residential areas, old factory zones, and urban villages, and the demolition of illegal structures) was led by then–Zhejiang Party Secretary Xia Baolong (夏宝龙). On the surface, it targeted “illegal buildings,” but in practice, it aimed to weaken the visual symbols and social influence of Christian churches. As a landmark structure, the Yayang church became an early target. International rights observers noted that the campaign resulted in the removal of thousands of crosses across the province. The resistance of Yayang Christians (such as physically guarding the site) made it one of the few “surviving” cases, but also accumulated resentment from authorities. 

The incident triggered expressions of solidarity from Christians in surrounding parts of Wenzhou (such as Pingyang and Cangnan). One mobilization, involving more than 500 participants, highlighted the resilience of grassroots Christian networks. The authorities, however, classified this as “gathering crowds to disturb order,” thereby opening the door to criminalization. 

This overview aims to reveal the underlying logic behind a local church case: how state administrative power, through methods ranging from “spatial governance” and the normalization of administrative control to “criminalization,” gradually dismantles grassroots Christian communities with strong organizational capacity. 

From the physical demolition of churches carried out in 2014 under the pretext of “illegal construction,” to the demand for political allegiance symbolized by the “national flag” in 2025, the Yayang church case demonstrates that the encroachment of power into religious space has been continuously escalating and multidimensional. This is not merely about whether a cross remains or is removed, but a struggle over “who holds the authority to define sacred space.” 

Phase One: The Battle to Defend the Cross and Administrative Violence (2014)

This year marked the outbreak of the conflict, as the authorities used “planning” as a weapon in an attempt to erase religious symbols.

In April 2014, the “Three Rectifications, One Demolition” campaign was launched. The Taishun County Planning Bureau announced the removal of the Yayang church’s cross. This was followed by acts of “protection using their physical bodies” in July and the “9.25 Major Case” in September. 

The Authorities’ Strategy Emphasized “Rubber Stamp Politics” and Visual Intimidation

May–June, details of administrative pressure: The authorities cut off the church’s water supply and installed surveillance cameras. Hu Xiaodong (胡晓东), secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, also attempted to “recruit” church leaders such as Lin Xunuo (林须诺) through intermediaries described as “wealthy and influential individuals.” After this failed, the authorities posted a demolition notice bearing the superimposed seals of 53 government departments, creating “visual violence” to intimidate Christians.

July – Physical resistance: The Taishun County government classified the Guankou church as an “illegal structure.” Christians initiated a strategy of “protection using their physical bodies.” 

August – Solidarity and the beginning of criminalization: More than 500 Christians from across Wenzhou (including Pingyang, Cangnan, and Fuding) traveled to Yayang to show support.

August 20: The local police station opened a case, accusing Lin Xunuo (the legal representative), Lin Enzhao (林恩兆), Lin Enmin (林恩敏), Mao Xiandong (毛显栋), and Peng Rixin (彭日新) of “gathering a crowd to disturb social order.”

September 19: The case was transferred to the county public security bureau’s public order unit. Lin Enmin was held under criminal detention for 37 days before being released on bail; the others did not appear.

September 25 (“9.25 Major Case”): At 10:00 p.m., the police station chief led a team (in plainclothes and private vehicles) to summon Mao Xiandong forcibly. 

Rescue action: After 3 Christians witnessed the capture, they informed others, and about 20 Christians rushed to the scene and rescued Mao.

Escalation of charges: The county public security bureau designated the incident the “9.25 Major Case,” opened a case for “obstructing official duties,” and subsequently arrested more than 10 people.

September 28 – Power intimidation: The authorities posted a demolition notice bearing the superimposed seals of 53 departments at various levels, constituting a visual act of intimidation.

External support: Christians from across Wenzhou traveled to Yayang, some motivated by the 2014 forced demolition of Sanjiang Church (三江基督教堂) in Yongjia, a symbolic starting point, which triggered regional mobilization.

Phase Two: Judicial Tug-of-War and Digital Surveillance (2015–2018)

This phase marked a shift from administrative pressure to judicial tactics. The authorities used mechanisms such as “release on bail pending trial” and “intercepting petitioners,” combined with digital surveillance, to form a long-term encirclement strategy.

February 2015: The authorities again mobilized party and government seals from 27 villages to issue a forced demolition notice. Three people were detained.

February–March, 2016: Interception of petitions in Beijing. You Guang’en (游光恩) traveled to Beijing to petition and was seized and taken back by the township government. After 11 days of illegal detention, he was transferred to criminal detention on charges of “instigating others to petition illegally.” 

June: Wang Qijun (王启俊) and seven others were intercepted in Beijing and brought back. They were first placed in administrative detention and then criminal detention. Lawyers Li Guisheng, Fan Biaowen, and others filed complaints with the Supreme People’s Court and prosecutorial authorities alleging judicial violations. 

August 28, 2016 – A brief easing during a diplomatic window: On the eve of the G20 Hangzhou Summit, five Christians were suddenly granted release on bail pending trial, with officials telling their families to “not make trouble.” This showed that international events (such as summits) could temporarily ease pressure but did not bring fundamental change.

April 2017 – Bloody confrontation: More than one hundred public security officers and Chengguan (urban management personnel) forcibly entered the Banling church (半岭教会) to install surveillance equipment. Christians were injured after being pushed off a wall, and Zhang Lingmei (张玲妹) was taken away. This reflected a shift from physical control to digital surveillance, marking an upgrade in the “stability maintenance paradigm.”

April–July 2018, Trials and convictions: Ji Qingcao (季庆操) was detained again. Ultimately, Ji Qingcao was convicted of “obstructing official duties,” You Guang’en of “gathering a crowd to disturb social order,” and Mei Xueshun of “selling counterfeit medicine.”

Lawyer involvement: Multiple well-known Christian lawyers (such as Wen Yu/闻宇 and Deng Qinggao/邓庆高) participated in the defense, highlighting the national attention on the case while also exposing the instrumentalization of the judiciary.

Phase Three: Clearance Operations Under the “Sinicization of Religion” (2025–2026)

The conflict evolved from disputes over “illegal construction” into a struggle over “political allegiance.” 

Escalation from forced flag-raising acts to a large-scale clearance operation. The “criminalization as organized crime” designation in late 2025 and the physical demolitions in early 2026 show a shift in strategy from political symbolism to “counterterrorism-level” stability maintenance.

June 24, 2025: Details of forced flag installation. Town Mayor Li Bin led a team to smash locks and forcibly erect a flagpole and raise the national flag at the meeting site. In the following months, the church was repeatedly summoned and threatened. 

September 29: “Tenth Anniversary of Defending the Cross” gathering.

Late November: The Taishun United Front Work Department circulated a speech by Xi Jinping. This was embedded in the “Five Entries, Five Transformations” policy (including the national flag entering religious venues), aimed at the “Sinicization” of religion.

December 13 – criminal designation of group: Brothers Lin Enzhao and Lin Enci were accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” with the public urged to report relevant information.

Late night of December 14–15, large-scale midnight clearance: Massive police and riot-control forces were deployed, using drones for surveillance, jamming communications, and inspecting mobile phones. More than one hundred people were taken away, and 20 were arrested.

List of the 20 individuals who were arrested:

Lin Enzhao (林恩兆), Lin Enci (林恩慈), Lin Enfeng (林恩丰), Lin Enmin (林恩敏), Lin Endian (林恩店), Lin Enyu (林恩宇), Wang Xiaocong (王晓聪), Ji Qingzou (季庆凑), Wang Jingjing, wife of Ji Qingzou (王静静), Wang Qijun (王启俊), Mao Dalin (毛大林), Ou Xiasi (欧夏斯), Liu Jie (刘杰), Bao Xingpei (包兴培), Lai Zhibin (赖志斌), Zhou Enyue (周恩越), Lin Silian (林思恋), Ji Aijuan (季爱娟), He Meilan (何美兰), Cai Wangling of Xiuxi Church (蔡旺灵/秀溪堂).

December 18: “Eliminate the Six Evils” mobilization rally, religious leaders were included among those targeted as part of the crackdown on “organized crime.” 

December 23 – Judicial cutoff: Lawyer Hu Rong (胡蓉) was denied a meeting with Lin Enci, with authorities citing the case as “special among special cases.”

January 5–6, 2026, Physical eradication: Traffic was controlled, subsequently cranes entered the site and demolished the bell tower, cross, and teaching building.

January 27: Formal approval of arrests for 20 individuals, with charges shifting to “harboring and sheltering” and “concealing/destroying accounting documents.” This change reflects authorities’ tactics of disguising repression as implementation of law to reduce international attention.

Through this timeline, one can observe the evolving strategies of local authorities when confronted with the resilience of Christians:

From “illegal demolition” to labeling it “organized crime”: This reflects a shift from campaign-style governance to “precision strikes.” Chen Yixin (陈一新) is the Minister of State Security and a native of Taishun. He also served as Wenzhou Party Secretary from 2014 to 2016 and promoted the cross-demolition campaign, which indicates high-level connections. After Xi Jinping’s 2025 speech on “advancing the Sinicization of religion,” cases similar to Zion Church and Early Rain Covenant Church increased, marking a nationwide tightening.

The performance of “rubber stamp politics”: The 53 seals in 2014 and the 2026 “Elimination of the Six Evils” mobilization rally follow the same logic: using campaign-style intimidation to portray religious activities as threats to public security.

The technicalization of criminal charges: Initial prosecutions relied on politically charged offenses such as “disrupting social order,” later shifting to economic crimes like “concealing accounting documents.” This reflects the absurd logic of “convict first, find evidence later,” a turn toward more “technically deceptive” legal tools for precise attacks, and a reduction in international scrutiny.

The extremization of control mechanisms: The use in mid-December 2025 of “communications jamming, mobile phone inspections, and drone surveillance” indicates that grassroots religious governance has entered a “counterterrorism-level” stability maintenance paradigm, completely cutting off the church’s real-time information flow with the outside world.

Looking back at the Taishun Yayang church case, this is not only a history of struggle by a Christian community, but also a microcosm of the adjustment of China’s religious policy at the grassroots level. From the 2014 targeting of architectural symbols (crosses) to the 2025 enforcement of political symbols (national flags), the depth and intensity of administrative intervention increased year by year.

The charges adopted by the authorities in early 2026 show that, in handling religious disputes, enforcement methods have shifted from simple “obstruction of official duties” to more complex economic and administrative dimensions. The eventual legal outcomes for the twenty detained Christians will become an important indicator for observing the boundaries between religious freedom and local governance.

The survival of crosses in the Yayang area during the 2014 campaign demonstrated the resilience of this Christian community, at the cost of multiple arrests. The case parallels the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi, highlighting a pattern of regional repression.

This material is compiled solely as a factual record, in the hope of preserving a testimony for history.

Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid 

Exclusive Photos of 12 out of the 20 individuals detained in 2026: