China’s communist regime has mobilized hundreds of armed police and heavy machinery to surround the Yayang Christian Church, also known as the “Yayang Assembly”, in the city of Wenzhou, raising fears of the temple’s demolition and signaling a new escalation of repression against independent Protestant Christian churches, according to information released by the organization ChinaAid.
According to ChinaAid, the operation took place on Monday (5), when authorities from the Chinese Communist Party completely isolated the area around the church. Christian residents living near the temple were forcibly removed from their homes, while people who were there were ordered not to photograph or record videos of the action. Cranes, tractors and other heavy engineering equipment were positioned around the building.
According to ChinaAid, although the communist regime in Beijing has not officially announced the objective of the ongoing operation against the church, there is strong concern that the action will result in the removal of the cross from the temple or the partial or complete demolition of the church. The entity claims that faithful of the Yayang Church face constant intimidation.
As reported by BBCvideos obtained by ChinaAid already show part of the Yayang Church structure being torn down.
The crackdown in Wenzhou comes in parallel with arrests of Protestant Christian leaders in other regions of China. As reported by BBCat least nine leaders of the Protestant Early Rain Covenant Church were detained in recent days following police raids on homes and the church office in the city of Chengdu, in central China. Five of them were released, while others remain in custody.
The organization Human Rights Watch stated that the action is part of an intensification of the communist regime’s repression against Protestant churches considered “underground” in China. According to the entity, around 100 members of the Yayang Church were arrested between December 2025 and this month, and at least two dozen remain in detention.
According to Human Rights Watch, the tightening is in line with the “sinicization of religion” policy, promoted by dictator Xi Jinping, which requires that religious practices be subordinated to the ideology of the Communist Party. International organizations warn that the eventual destruction of the church would violate international human rights standards, including religious freedom.
