Chinese authorities have detained half a dozen members of an underground Protestant church based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, Human Rights Watch says.
This is the latest in a string of arrests of members of prominent unofficial “house churches” in China in the past year.
The Early Rain Covenant Church, which is understood to be Calvinist, Reformed and Presbyterian, posted on social media that on 6 January 2026, police raided the home of its current leader, Li Yingqiang, in Deyang and took him away. It said that other key church members were similarly taken into custody.
“The Chinese Government has ushered in the New Year with new arrests of underground Protestant church members,” said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Government should immediately free those detained and let them freely practice their religion.”
Those detained include Dai Zhichao, Ye Fenghua, Yan Hong, and Zeng Qingtao. Another Early Rain adherent, Shu Qiong, was summoned by police in Chengdu, Sichuan’s provincial capital, for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. Wu Wuqing was also summoned by the police, then released and warned against “being involved in the case”.
The Chinese Government should immediately free those being detained for their religious beliefs and practices as protected under international human rights law. Until their release, the authorities should provide information about the detainees to their families and ensure that they have access to lawyers of their choice.
The crackdown on Early Rain Covenant Church occurred just weeks after authorities reportedly arrested approximately 100 members of another unofficial Protestant church, Yayang Church in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, between 13–18 December 2025.
