In Shanghai, children are taken to court where they can participate in a mock trial and “sentence” members of “illegal religions” to heavy jail penalties. In a disturbing display of state-sponsored indoctrination, the Chinese government has once again turned itsRead More →
Leaders of Shanxi’s popular Sola Fide congregation will remain in jail for terms of up to nine years. On August 15, 2025, the Linfen Intermediate People’s Court in Shanxi Province upheld the first-degree verdict against several members of the GoldenRead More →
Indoctrinated elementary school students are organized against “xie jiao” and “illegal” religion. The campaign raises serious ethical questions. In a troubling display of state-sponsored indoctrination, a recent article published on the official Chinese anti- “xie jiao” website celebrates the mobilizationRead More →
A nationwide police operation is underway against a movement that has been criticized for its focus on emotional displays, but remains similar to mainstream Pentecostalism. Between July and August, churches associated with the All Sphere or All Range, also knownRead More →
A sobering 20th anniversary for a house church facing continuous persecution and the repeated detention of its pastor. In the heart of Guangzhou, a quiet but resolute Christian community faces relentless pressure from the state while it celebrates its 20thRead More →
7/17/2025 China (International Christian Concern) — Recent reports and firsthand testimony from Christians in China indicate that the Chinese government is persecuting the church with renewed vigor as it implements new regulations on foreign missionaries and the worship practices ofRead More →
United Front chief Li Ganjie has indicated the doctrine announced in April by top CCP ideologist Wang Huning as mandatory. In May 2025, “Bitter Winter” discussed a key lecture delivered by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top ideologist, Wang Huning,Read More →
Despite the agreement with the Vatican, China continues to arrest priests, nuns, and believers who refuse to join the CCP-controlled Patriotic Church. Pope Leo XIV is reportedly deliberating on the future of the recently renewed Vatican-China deal from 2018. Meanwhile,Read More →
The third raid in one year led to the arrest of Elder Ma Tao and Pastor Chang Shun. Despite its reformed theology, the church has been labeled a “cult.” In March 2025, “Bitter Winter” reported a raid by Chinese authoritiesRead More →
The veteran Christian dissident has been arrested for the third time since 2014. He has faced continuous police harassment for eleven years. Pastor Huang Yizi, of the Fengwo Church—a house church in Pingyang County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province—has become aRead More →
Pastor Li Jie, Elder Han Xiaodong, and Elder Wan Qiang were sentenced to jail penalties for “fraud.” In 2022, “Bitter Winter” reported that a police raid on a parent-children camp of Linfen Covenant Home Church in August led to theRead More →
Pastor Gao Quanfu, who is among those detained, is a key leader in the house church movement in Shaanxi. On the evening of May 16, 2025, a significant crackdown on religious freedom took place in Xi’an, Shaanxi, as local authoritiesRead More →
His stubborn refusal to join the CCP-controlled Three Self Church led to years of persecution. At the beginning of May, the Bethel Church in Zhangjiajie, Cili County, Hunan, reported that its pastor, Zhao Huaiguo, and his wife are under continuousRead More →
The CCP’s top ideologist discusses Xi Jinping’s “unique scientific understanding” of religion and how it should be used to support the Party’s domestic and global aims. When Wang Huning speaks, it is always a good idea to listen. Wang isRead More →
China’s only legal church, the Communist Party-controlled Three Self Patriotic Movement (TPSM), has been ordered to publish more communist propaganda in its “Christian” media. During a meeting of the TPSM’s Media Ministry Committee in mid-April, Bitter Winter reported that CommunistRead More →
4/17/2025 China (International Christian Concern) — Nine Chinese Christians have received prison sentences and large fines for re-selling and distributing Bibles in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. International Christian Concern (ICC) has followed this case for several years now. On April 10,Read More →
1. Overview In 2024, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continued advancing its campaign for the “Sinicization” of religion. On January 1, it enacted the Patriotic Education Law of the People’s Republic of China1, further tightening its control and suppressionRead More →
According to rough statistics, nearly 500 members of The Church of Almighty God (CAG) were arrested between March and September 2024 in the cities of Qingdao, Weifang, and Yantai in Shandong Province. Following the conclusion of the Two Sessions (theRead More →
Since 2022, raids, arrests, long jail sentences and even one suspicious death in jail have marked an increasingly severe campaign of repression in the province. by Jiang Tao Since the CCP initiated a three-year “general battle” in 2019 targeting TheRead More →
On October 10, 2024, the 10th Festival Sabir was held at Città dell’Altra Economia, a renowned event space in the Testaccio district of Rome, Italy. The festival was co-organized by the Italian Recreational and Cultural Association (ARCI, Associazione Ricreativa eRead More →
Zhu Chunlin’s testimony explains what “strict control and punishment” and “strengthened learning” mean in Chinese prisons: torture. by Qi Junzao Zhu Chunlin is a Christian from Shenzhen, who was sentenced for “illegal fundraising.” He bravely denounced what happened to himRead More →
