On January 6th, the Autumn Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, was subjected to crackdowns by the police in Chengdu and Deyang. According to several sources, the Deyang Municipal Public Security Bureau, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, classified the case as “incitement to subvert state power.” Currently, six church members, including Li Yingqiang, have been criminally detained and are held in the Deyang Detention Center. Additionally, several other church members have been taken away for questioning or had their freedom restricted.
Two days after the incident, multiple church members revealed that the police operation targeted the homes of believers and church premises, involving residential searches, cross-provincial detentions, nighttime interrogations, and brief detentions followed by release. An anonymous believer mentioned that dozens of police officers were involved in the operation, and several elders, preachers, and believers were taken away. Among them, Li Yingqiang, Zhang Xinyue, Dai Zhichao, Ye Fenghua, Jia Xuewei, and a believer known as “Brother Y” were transferred to the Deyang Detention Center.
According to a statement released by the church on January 7th at 9:25 pm, Li Yingqiang was taken from his home in Deyang by the police, and his residence was searched. Subsequently, his wife Zhang Xinyue and their two underage children were also taken away. It was reported that the children spent the night at the police station and were later temporarily placed at their grandmother’s house. The church also mentioned that Zhang Xinyue has a history of depression.
A church member named Zhang expressed concerns to reporters, stating that in similar cases in the past, the removal or interrogation of family members and underage children is often seen as a way to pressure the individuals involved. Many family members are currently tense and have started contacting lawyers, expressing worries about the situation of the detained individuals and their families.
The church’s report also revealed that Dai Zhichao was taken from the church premises on January 6th at around 11 am for questioning, and his residence was later searched. He was briefly held at the Chengdu Jin Niu District Detention Center before being transferred to the custody of the Deyang police. Ye Fenghua was also taken away on the same day and subjected to a search, while his wife and children remained at home under surveillance with limited external communication.
Several church members informed reporters that the procedures of being taken from the premises, returned for search, and then transferred to another location indicate that the police had pre-planned the operation routes and personnel deployments. Another anonymous believer suggested that this police action might be related to the church’s network activities, citing retrospective writings posted on Autumn Rain Church platforms that drew authorities’ attention.
This believer also noted that the police’s handling in this case resembled the crackdown on the Zion Church in Beijing in the past. Public records show that since October 9, 2025, the Chinese authorities in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and other places launched coordinated actions against the Zion Church. Nearly 30 pastors, preachers, and believers were taken away or went missing, including founding pastor Jin Mingri, Gao Yingjia, Wang Lin, among others. Some individuals were charged with non-religious offenses such as “illegal use of information networks” and “illegal business operations.”
The Autumn Rain Covenant Church announced on the evening of January 7th that the Deputy Minister Jia Xuewei was still missing, and another brother whose name was not disclosed was also not yet located, causing uncertainty within the church. Updated information later revealed that in addition to Li Yingqiang, Zhang Xinyue, Dai Zhichao, Ye Fenghua, and Jia Xuewei, “Brother Y” was also among those criminally detained and currently held at the Deyang Detention Center.
A lawyer in Chengdu, Mr. Liu, mentioned in an interview with reporters that in similar cases, there is often a discrepancy between the church’s assessment and the families’ determination of “missing” or “criminally detained.” When individuals are first taken away, the exact circumstances are usually unclear to the public, leading to initial terms like “missing.” Mr. Liu explained that it typically takes receiving the police’s detention notice or lawyers being granted permission to meet before the status of whether individuals have been criminally detained, detained, and on what charges becomes more apparent.
He further commented that based on his experience with previous cases, if individuals remain unreachable for an extended period after being taken away, the likelihood of being criminally detained is higher. Concerning legal regulations, the police generally cannot hold individuals who are summoned or temporarily detained for more than 48 hours. Exceeding this time limit often signals the initiation of criminal enforcement measures.
Additionally, the church reported that in the afternoon of January 6th around 5 pm, preachers Yan Hong, Wu Wuqing, and Deputy Minister Zeng Qingtao were successively taken away by the police. Zeng Qingtao had previously been restricted from leaving the residential area and was under long-term surveillance. The three individuals all returned home that evening, with Wu Wuqing arriving back at around 11:30 pm, while the others were allowed to return slightly earlier.
The report also mentioned that around 10 pm on January 6th, believer Shu Qiong was taken away by the police for “provocation and troublemaking” and returned home around 6 am on January 7th. Another elderly female believer was asked to come for questioning by the police and later returned home shortly after.
The Autumn Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu is a house church belonging to the Reformed tradition, which was previously closed down by the authorities. In recent years, many church leaders and members have been sentenced or detained due to their continued gatherings and evangelism activities.