If you are a Christian in China, the Chinese Government will attack you, injure you, throw you in prison and sometimes torture you!

If you think the following article is exaggerated or untrue, then look at the cited sources at the end of the article.

Yang Rongli, born on October 3, 1958, in Huozhou City, Shanxi Province, is a former employee of the Veteran Affairs Office at Shanxi Normal University. In 1998, she became a full-time leader of her Christian church and helped grow it from a small group of a few dozen to a congregation of thousands. In 2004, during the construction of the Golden Lampstand Cathedral in Linfen City, Yang faced intense pressure from authorities, including tactics such as cutting off water and electricity.

By 2009, as the church’s location gained commercial value, officials attempted to demolish it, meeting strong resistance from the congregation. In response, on September 13, 2009, over 500 police officers surrounded the church and its Gospel Shoe Factory, injuring more than 100 worshippers. Further confrontations occurred, and on September 25, six church leaders, including Yang, were detained while traveling to Taiyuan City to file a complaint. Yang was arrested on October 11, 2009, charged with “illegal occupation of agricultural land” and “gathering a crowd to disrupt traffic,” and sentenced to seven years in prison on November 25, 2009. She served her time at Xinkang Prison and was released on October 10, 2016.

Despite the destruction of her church, Yang continued to hold outdoor services, enduring ongoing police harassment. On August 7, 2021, she and several church leaders were arrested in Yaodu District, Linfen City, on charges of “fraud.” While some were released on bail, Yang, her husband Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, and six others were formally arrested by the Yaodu District Procuratorate. The case was later transferred to the Linfen City Procuratorate for further review.

After repeated delays, the trial for the Golden Lampstand Church case is now scheduled for October 22, 2024, in the Yaodu District Court, unless postponed again.

Sources

1. USCIRF — Yang Rongli
2. ChinaAid — Golden Lampstand Church: 16 months without trial
3. ChinaAid — Trial date set for Golden Lampstand Church leaders
4. ChinaAid — Golden Lamp Church Fraud Case scheduled to go to trial next month
5. ChinaAid — A Battle of Faith and Freedom: A Perspective and recent update on the Case of the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi Province
6. U.S. Department of State — 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: China
7. Congressional-Executive Commission on China — 2023 Annual Report