Xu Feng, headmaster of music school, charged with “illegal business operations”

Xu Feng, headmaster of Maizi Christian Music Highschool, with his family
Photo: Xu Feng, headmaster of a Christian music school, with his family (ChinaAid source)

(Harbin, China) The wife of Xu Feng, the headmaster of Maizi Christian Music Highschool, wrote an open letter on Chinese social media. She stood up for her husband, publicly questioning how running a music training school is considered “illegal business operations.”

Raid on the Music school

Xu Feng, 44 years old, is the headmaster of Maizi Christian Music High School (Wheat). Public security agents criminally detained Xu during a raid on the music school in September 2021. The authorities also arrested Sun Enhui, a 26-year-old accountant. Authorities officially arrested Xu Feng on October 11, while releasing Sun on bail in December. On the day of her release, the Sonbei Branch Bureau of Public Security completed its investigation and transferred both cases to prosecutors.

Xu Feng’s Detention Notice

Photo: Xu Feng’s Detention Notice (ChinaAid source)

The Effect on Xu’s Family

On September 3, 2021, Xu Feng was taken and interrogated for one day and one night. He has been held at Harbin No. 1 Detention Center ever since. His children were very young when he was arrested. Xu’s wife—Kong Yan—suddenly couldn’t get hold of him on the day of his arrest. She waited three days with hopelessness, fear, sleeplessness, and anxiety before receiving the Detention Notice issued by the Bureau of Public Security on September 4. The notice claimed that Xu Feng was detained on a charge of “illegal business operations.”

 

No word from the authorities

One and a half years later, Kong Yan has not been updated by the Bureau of Public Security, Court, or Procuratorate in terms of how the case will be processed or any explanation at all. The Court postponed the trial of the case again and again on the pretext of the pandemic.

Photo: The first page of Xu Feng’s indictment (ChinaAid source)

Kong Yan’s social media post

Kong Yan wrote on the Chinese social media site Weibo, questioning how her husband committed any crimes. She wrote: 

I still can’t understand how my husband committed a crime by running a music training school and how it can be an illegal business operation? Xu Feng was arrested over one and a half years ago, but the trial is not held yet. He is wronged and detained and prays for justice, his parents, wife, and kids look forward to his release.

 

Xu Feng obtained his expertise because of his diligence and hard work so that he could build his career. He hoped to help children who dropped out due to various reasons and have been ignored or marginalized and even abandoned by society. He hoped that these children could have their skills so that they could better serve the Lord—the creator of humans– using their knowledge and skills and impact society more and wouldn’t become useless and a danger to society, instead. These children felt loved and accepted, and they learned to learn, love, and respect. They were not addicted to games and started to behave age-appropriately.

 

Are these evil things that deserve punishment? Xu Feng ran the training school in effort to help these children and never intended to break laws.

Xu Feng and their son who has cerebral palsy

Photo: Xu Feng and their son who has cerebral palsy (ChinaAid source)

Accused of stealing Children’s money

Kong Yan was perplexed by the Judicial Office’s accusation of Xu Feng illegally obtaining children’s money. The police department and procuratorate argued irrationally, saying that Xu Feng had a large number of illegal proceeds from engaging in illegal business operations. Xu Feng never profited from the business.

 

A True Non-profit

According to Kong, the training school never charged any student a fee except for their lodging and meals. Additionally, they provided financial aid to children with financial difficulties, even waiving their fees in some cases. The school didn’t have revenue but had a deficit, instead. Teachers of the school were underpaid dramatically, some teachers were paid less than 1,000 yuan ($145) each month, and only 10 yuan ($1.5) for each piano class meeting. It even surprised the police officers who interrogated teachers, and police couldn’t understand and asked teachers what the point of teaching the classes was. All teachers’ response was to help children who love music but can’t afford school. Clearly, the school is a non-profit organization providing music education.

 

A family in need

At the end of her post, Kong Yan wrote “With things as such, I just hope for the school’s justice. I am weak and need my husband, our young kids need their dad, and his elderly parents need their oldest son.”

 

She tagged human rights lawyers, hoping to elevate her husband’s case.

 

~Yu Bing, ChinaAid Contributing Reporter

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Xu Feng, headmaster of music school, charged with “illegal business operations”

Xu Feng, headmaster of Maizi Christian Music Highschool, with his family
Photo: Xu Feng, headmaster of a Christian music school, with his family (ChinaAid source)

(Harbin, China) The wife of Xu Feng, the headmaster of Maizi Christian Music Highschool, wrote an open letter on Chinese social media. She stood up for her husband, publicly questioning how running a music training school is considered “illegal business operations.”

Raid on the Music school

Xu Feng, 44 years old, is the headmaster of Maizi Christian Music High School (Wheat). Public security agents criminally detained Xu during a raid on the music school in September 2021. The authorities also arrested Sun Enhui, a 26-year-old accountant. Authorities officially arrested Xu Feng on October 11, while releasing Sun on bail in December. On the day of her release, the Sonbei Branch Bureau of Public Security completed its investigation and transferred both cases to prosecutors.

Xu Feng’s Detention Notice

Photo: Xu Feng’s Detention Notice (ChinaAid source)

The Effect on Xu’s Family

On September 3, 2021, Xu Feng was taken and interrogated for one day and one night. He has been held at Harbin No. 1 Detention Center ever since. His children were very young when he was arrested. Xu’s wife—Kong Yan—suddenly couldn’t get hold of him on the day of his arrest. She waited three days with hopelessness, fear, sleeplessness, and anxiety before receiving the Detention Notice issued by the Bureau of Public Security on September 4. The notice claimed that Xu Feng was detained on a charge of “illegal business operations.”

 

No word from the authorities

One and a half years later, Kong Yan has not been updated by the Bureau of Public Security, Court, or Procuratorate in terms of how the case will be processed or any explanation at all. The Court postponed the trial of the case again and again on the pretext of the pandemic.

Photo: The first page of Xu Feng’s indictment (ChinaAid source)

Kong Yan’s social media post

Kong Yan wrote on the Chinese social media site Weibo, questioning how her husband committed any crimes. She wrote: 

I still can’t understand how my husband committed a crime by running a music training school and how it can be an illegal business operation? Xu Feng was arrested over one and a half years ago, but the trial is not held yet. He is wronged and detained and prays for justice, his parents, wife, and kids look forward to his release.

 

Xu Feng obtained his expertise because of his diligence and hard work so that he could build his career. He hoped to help children who dropped out due to various reasons and have been ignored or marginalized and even abandoned by society. He hoped that these children could have their skills so that they could better serve the Lord—the creator of humans– using their knowledge and skills and impact society more and wouldn’t become useless and a danger to society, instead. These children felt loved and accepted, and they learned to learn, love, and respect. They were not addicted to games and started to behave age-appropriately.

 

Are these evil things that deserve punishment? Xu Feng ran the training school in effort to help these children and never intended to break laws.

Xu Feng and their son who has cerebral palsy

Photo: Xu Feng and their son who has cerebral palsy (ChinaAid source)

Accused of stealing Children’s money

Kong Yan was perplexed by the Judicial Office’s accusation of Xu Feng illegally obtaining children’s money. The police department and procuratorate argued irrationally, saying that Xu Feng had a large number of illegal proceeds from engaging in illegal business operations. Xu Feng never profited from the business.

 

A True Non-profit

According to Kong, the training school never charged any student a fee except for their lodging and meals. Additionally, they provided financial aid to children with financial difficulties, even waiving their fees in some cases. The school didn’t have revenue but had a deficit, instead. Teachers of the school were underpaid dramatically, some teachers were paid less than 1,000 yuan ($145) each month, and only 10 yuan ($1.5) for each piano class meeting. It even surprised the police officers who interrogated teachers, and police couldn’t understand and asked teachers what the point of teaching the classes was. All teachers’ response was to help children who love music but can’t afford school. Clearly, the school is a non-profit organization providing music education.

 

A family in need

At the end of her post, Kong Yan wrote “With things as such, I just hope for the school’s justice. I am weak and need my husband, our young kids need their dad, and his elderly parents need their oldest son.”

 

She tagged human rights lawyers, hoping to elevate her husband’s case.

 

~Yu Bing, ChinaAid Contributing Reporter

News
Read more ChinaAid stories
Click Here
Write
Send encouraging letters to prisoners
Click Here
Previous slide
Next slide

Send your support

Fight for religious freedom in China

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