“December 15 was not a festival day, nor were any official celebrations planned, but a massive fireworks show was held in the Yayang Town Government Square without explanation on the same day as the Yayang Church Raid,” says Representative Foley. “Whether it was intended as a celebration of a successful strike against the Yayang church network or a cover-up of the police activities is unclear.” 

According to local residents and church members, thousands of police and firefighters from Hangzhou, Pingyang and other areas of Zhejiang Province were transferred to Yayang Town beginning on December 13. At 3:20 am on December 15, special police forcibly entered the church building, where many church members were present. Reports indicate that over the next two days, several hundred people associated with the Yayang Church Network were detained for investigation. 

“Local sources confirmed that the intersection adjacent to the church was completely blocked by police, and Christians in Yayang Town were prevented from entering the Yayang Church during and after the raid,” says Representative Foley. She says the police operation lasted nearly five days, but no statement has been released by authorities. 

According to Representative Foley, online inquiries by local netizens about the reason for the massive fireworks display were met with vague replies. 

“The following was a typical reply from officials: ‘The masses spontaneously celebrated the fight against organized crime’,” says Representative Foley. 

The raid is the second major raid on a house church network in China in the past three months, following the October 15 arrest of 30 leaders of the Zion Church Network, including founding pastor Ezra Jin. 

According to Representative Foley, the Yayang House Church Network is a group of twelve churches within a half-hour drive of each other in Taishun County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. “Wenzhou is often called ‘China’s Jerusalem’ because of the high concentration of Christians there,” says Representative Foley. “The Yayang Churches trace their history back to famed Chinese house church leader Watchman Nee. Each of the twelve churches is independent, but they have regular fellowship and communication.” She says the Yayang Church in Yayang Town, the target of the raid has long served as the “hub” of the network. 

“In 2014, there was a large-scale cross removal campaign by authorities in the Zhejiang region, but the Yayang Churches refused to compromise, and all the crosses on their churches were preserved, though many of the church members were arrested,” says Representative Foley.  

Then in a 2017 clash, law enforcement officers got into a physical altercation with worshippers after the church refused to install surveillance cameras, leaving several people injured. 

Finally, in the early morning of June 24 this year, Li Bin, the mayor of Yayang Town, took a hundred people to Yayang Church, demolished the church walls and gates, and forcibly erected a flagpole to raise the national flag.  

“The forced flag raising is part of the Communist Party’s ‘five-in’ policy where religious sites across China have been required to introduce the national flag, constitution, laws and core socialist values into their physical space and their teaching,” says Representative Foley. She says Yayang Church members resisted the forced flagpole installation. 

“Two church members associated with that refusal, Lin Enzhao and Lin Enci, are now shown on ‘Wanted’ posters circulated by authorities,” says Representative Foley. “The authorities call them ‘the main suspects of the criminal gang’ offer rewards of 1,000 to 5,000 yuan (200,000 to 1,000,000 KRW) for information leading to their arrest. Police came to each house in the area and asked Christians to accuse the men of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’.”   

Representative Foley says Voice of the Martyrs Korea and China Aid are calling on believers around the world to continue to watch the Yayang Church matter closely and to intercede for the Christians there.  

Individuals interested in learning about or supporting Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s work in partnership with persecuted Christians in China can visit www.vomkorea.com/en/china.