Christian Bookstore Raid Leads to Arrests and Imprisonment


Wenxi Li

A Christian bookstore employee, Wenxi Li, and another man associated with the bookstore, Lacheng Ren, were arrested and sentenced to prison terms for their role in assisting with the opening of a new bookstore. On June 17th, 2013, Wenxi was sentenced to two years in prison by the court of Xiaodian district of Taiyuan in central China.

In 2012, Wenxi travelled from Beijing to Shanxi province to help local Christians there open a new bookstore in the capital city of Taiyuan. While he was working at the Enyu Bookstore, police raided the new business and confiscated hundreds of books that he had brought with him. According to the "South China Morning Post," one security worker allegedly shouted at Wenxi and his colleagues, "Don't you dare bring Christian culture here. This is our turf."

On December 19th, 2012, Wenxi was asked to come to a police station to retrieve the $6,000 worth of books that had been seized. But when he arrived at the police station, he was immediately arrested and sent to prison. Police were quoted as saying Wenxi was denied bail because of the seriousness of his "crime." (Other alerts of persecution in China can be found at the China Country Report.)

Since Wenxi's arrest, his wife Cai Hong and their two children have received harassment from anonymous sources. She has expressed concern for the children's safety. But despite the harassment, the family is proceeding to appeal his case. The good news is that Wenxi has already led three people to Christ while in prison awaiting trial.

It is encouraging to know that God is greater in us than "he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The Lord is clearly working in and through the lives of His servants...even in the most challenging of circumstances. We rejoice with the angels in heaven over the salvation of these three newly converted prisoners! May the Lord continue the good work that He has begun in each of their lives. We also want to lift up Wenxi and his precious family, as well as his colleague Lacheng. Pray that these believers will be granted divine protection, favour and even greater opportunities to testify of their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • Current Ministry Projects

    The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

    Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development

  • Country Information

    Population
    1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

    Religion (%)
    Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

    Leader
    President Xi Jinping (2013)

    Government type
    Communist party-led state

    Legal system
    Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

    Sources: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for China

    Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.

China News

  • House Church Bible Study Gathering Raided
    Three police officers are browsing through a phone as a church member looks on.
    One of the church members being interrogated by police.
    Photo: ChinaAid

    Several Christians were gathered on the morning of August 22nd for a Bible study at the Beijing Holy Love Fellowship church when multiple police officers suddenly entered the facility. After demanding to see the believers' identification cards, the authorities recorded the personal details of all those who were present. At the time of publishing this report, no official statement or charges have been issued by the Beijing police.

  • Pastor Arrested for "Illegal Business Operations"
    Huang Yizi is speaking on the phone while in prison.
    Pastor Huang Yizi
    Photo: ChinaAid

    Pastor Huang Yizi, a prominent church leader in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, was informed on July 30th that he had been formally charged with "illegal business practices" relating to the distribution of sermon recordings. The Christian leader and several other church members were initially taken into custody on June 26th. At the time, the reason for their arrests was unclear. (A previously published report about the arrests is available here.) However, following the recent announcement of formal charges, further information has now come to light.

  • Detained Pastor's Family Faces Harassment
    Chang Shun is holding his little boy. Both are smiling.
    Pastor Chang Shun with one of his children.
    Photo: ChinaAid

    Since 2021, Pastor Chang Shun of the Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang City has encountered ongoing harassment from Chinese authorities. Unfortunately, all his appeals, in response to the multiple administrative detentions and fines he received over the years, have been unsuccessful. In 2023, Pastor Chang's church was officially banned by the government. Most recently, the harassed church leader was detained on June 29th during a raid by law enforcement officers. In this latest occurrence, he was taken into custody alongside Elder Ma Tao on suspicion of "organizing illegal gatherings." Several visiting friends and family members of Pastor Chang were also detained. Authorities forcibly relocated the visiting individuals, loading their belongings onto trucks and sending them back to their hometowns with strict orders not to return to Fuyang.

  • Christian Lawyer Remains Missing After Eight Years
    Gao Zhisheng is standing in front of a building dressed in a dark blue jacket.
    Gao Zhisheng
    Photo: ChinaAid

    For many years, Gao Zhisheng was a bold advocate for persecuted religious communities in China. While serving as a lawyer representing various faith groups, he himself was frequently harassed and arrested. In 2005, Gao's law practice was shut down by the government after he publicly condemned the human rights violations that were being committed against practitioners of a religious movement known as Falun Gong.