(Chengdu, Sichuan – March 8, 2024) A Christian named Liu Xiaoqiong, from Chengdu, Sichuan, was summoned by local police for posting religious information deemed sensitive by the Chengdu authorities. Due to strict internet monitoring, her whereabouts are currently unknown.
On February 20, it was reported that Ms. Liu Xiaoqiong, a Christian in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, posted a message on “WeChat Moments” on February 18 about the “Sunday evening evangelistic meeting” of the Shengyue (Covenant) Evangelistic Ministry, which included the name of Pastor Wang Yi in the content.
The next day on February 19, three batches of police officers from a police station in Chengdu went to look for Ms. Liu Xiaoqiong. The director of the police station called Ms. Liu Xiaoqiong and said that he would personally come to her home to talk to her. He demanded Ms. Liu Xiaoqiong to explain why she had posted preaching content from Pastor Wang Yi before he was imprisoned.
Pastor Wang Yi titled his sermon “The Prince and the Pauper” based on Matthew 3:13-17 in the Bible. In it, he incorporated the contemporary situation in China, stating that what is most exciting for Christians is that the true king has been crowned. The inner world of Christians is not ruled by earthly kingship, but by Jesus. He said, “Only Jesus is your king. The kings of the world are no longer your kings. Do not let them rule your soul; apart from this king, no one can rule you from within. This is the message of freedom and liberation that the Gospel brings us—he is our king.”
“I did not know what ‘dada’ meant before. Later, I learned it means ‘father’ in the Shaanxi dialect. Is Xi Jinping your father? Although I know that some people use ‘Xi dada’ with a tone of contempt, disdain, or joking, but let me tell you, he is not your ‘dada.’ You can call him president. If he says he is president, he is president; if he says he is chairman, he is chairman; if he says he is general secretary, he is general secretary. But, he is not your king, not your father! Because your king has been enthroned, your king has finally appeared. The only king ruling within you is this king!” Pastor Wang Yi continued.
Pastor Wang Yi is the founding pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu. On December 9, 2018, Chengdu authorities deployed police to arrest Wang Yi and over a hundred Christians, including elders and deacons of Early Rain Covenant Church. Subsequently, the church was officially banned. On December 30, 2019, the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court announced that Wang Yi was sentenced to 9 years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations.” The trigger for this case was what Pastor Wang Yi said during a sermon that “anyone who does not repent will perish,” which officials unfamiliar with the Bible interpreted as disrespect toward leaders. His defense lawyer, Zhang Peihong, believes that the accusations against Wang Yi for incitement to subvert state power are unreasonable.
The activities of the church are subject to exceptionally tight restrictions, and many people have been arrested due to close contact and association with the Early Rain Covenant Church.
Currently, friends who have tried to contact Liu Xiaoqiong receive no response, indicating that local authorities may have control over her communications.
Liu Xiaoqiong, from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, was a member of the Early Rain Covenant Church and a media editor. She has been summoned several times and has had police officers, auxiliary officers, and community security director harass her at her residence. Because Chengdu authorities suspect her of posting comments online in the 2018 Autumn Rain Covenant Church case.
Recently, Liu Xiaoqiong has been frequently harassed and called in for “chats” with the police, and it has affected her church life.
