On the morning of May 2, 2024, Wang Xiaofei, wife of Pastor Yang Xibo from Xunsiding Church in Xiamen, and Li Shanshan, wife of Pastor Li Jie from Covenant House Church in Linfen, visited Fuyang, Anhui Province with their children. They were there to meet Pastor Zhang Sen and Elder Chang Shun of Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church. The visit involved a shared lunch and exchange of ideas.
However, the afternoon saw Li Shanshan and her two children, along with Pastor Zhang Sen and Elder Chang Shun, taken away for questioning by the police from the Yingdong Branch of Fuyang Public Security Bureau. It is worth noting that Pastor Zhang Sen and Elder Chang Shun had recently been administratively detained due to their Christian faith but were released after completing their detention.
Around 5:00 pm on the same day, police forcibly entered the hotel room where Wang Xiaofei and her children were staying. They expressed a desire to take Wang Xiaofei to the police station for questioning about their visit's purpose and whom they met. Due to her children's distress, Wang Xiaofei was not immediately taken away. The police stated they would return later to escort her to the station. Once her children had calmed down, Wang Xiaofei voluntarily went to the police station. Li Shanshan did not return to the hotel until 8:30 pm.
Fuyang Maizhong Reformed Church is a house church located in Fuyang City, Anhui Province. Its leaders participated in signing "A joint statement by Pastors: A Declaration for the sake of the Christian Faith," initiated by Pastor Wang Yi in 2018. The church has been raided multiple times following government crackdowns on house churches leading to its ban in 2023.
Despite this, church members continued to pray and study in small groups, leading to further raids and detentions. The Fuyang Public Security Bureau has reportedly focused on cracking down on Maizhong Reformed Church, stating that gatherings of two or three people would result in detention if discovered.
In the period from fall 2023 to spring 2024, Elder Chang Shun was detained three times for attending the church's Sunday services. On March 10 of this year, nine Christians, including Elder Chang Shun, were arrested and given a penalty of 13 days of administrative detention. Pastor Zhang Sen was accused of "organizing illegal assembly" by the police when he led prayers outside the Fuyang Detention Center upon their release.
Wang Xiaofei and Li Shanshan's visit to Fuyang was part of a tradition among house churches to provide comfort and encouragement during times of persecution. Both women belong to churches also facing persecution. Wang Xiaofei and her husband Pastor Yang Xibo were fined ¥200,000 yuan (~28,280 U.S. dollars) by Xiamen Religious Affairs Bureau for insisting on gathering after being banned. Meanwhile, Covenant House Church in Linfen has had its Pastors Li Jie and Han Xiaodong along with co-worker Wang Qiang criminally detained by local police for over a year and seven months on charges of "fraud".
In a Weibo post dated May 3, Li Shanshan revealed that her initial plan for the visit was to enjoy the local scenery with her children. However, they were abruptly interrupted by police officers who searched her belongings and attempted to seize her phone under charges of "colluding with banned church organizations". At the police station, she was alternately referred to as a suspect and a witness. During this time, she received a call from her lawyer who assured her that many Christians were praying for her and her children, which helped her overcome her fear. She expressed a desire to return to Fuyang with her children to see the China rose flowers.
