Multiple informed sources revealed that police in Beihai City, Guangxi Province, detained Su
Ziming, wife of Zion Church pastor Wang Lin, on Thursday (November 13) and summoned her under the charge of “suspected of illegally using an information network.” Zion Church is one of the largest house (unregistered with the officials) churches in China.
According to sources, after Su Ziming was taken away, her family had not received a formal notice of arrest. This charge has been used for the first time this year by authorities against individuals believed to have shared sensitive religious or social information online.
Beijing’s detention of Su Ziming is likely an attempt to further pressure Pastor Wang Lin, forcing him to yield and proceed according to the agenda required for conviction by the police. The move suggests that Beihai authorities may have encountered difficulties in the fabrication of charges and have failed to achieve the “breakthrough” or “decisive progress” necessary for prosecution. As a result, they seem to be using family members as hostages to send a message to Wang Lin: “We have no bottom line; we will do whatever it takes.” Detaining Su Zhiming also serves to cut off her communication with the outside world and hinder efforts to advocate for Wang Lin.
Crackdown on Zion Church
Su Ziming’s detention occurred more than a month after Pastor Wang Lin was arrested in Shenzhen on October 9. Since that operation, numerous pastors and Christians associated with Zion Church across China have been investigated or detained by the police. According to statistics compiled by church figures, to date, a total of 23 co-workers and members have been taken away, summoned, or criminally detained in locations including Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Guangdong, and Guangxi.
A few of the church members, including Pastors Lin Shucheng and Sun Xue, a pastor’s wife, Yang Huibin, Tuya, and Chunzi, have been released on bail pending trial. Pastor Wang Lin, however, remains held at Beihai No. 2 Detention Center and is reportedly still under interrogation.
Several Christians familiar with the situation said that on the day after Wang Lin’s arrest (November 10), his wife, Su Ziming, attempted to leave the country with their two children but was stopped by border control officers and told she was prohibited from exiting China.
Background on Pastor Wang Lin and Family Hardship
Wang Lin, 42 years old and originally from Hubei, is a former lawyer who later entered full-time ministry. In 2017, he earned a Ph.D. in Old Testament theology from Wheaton College in Illinois, U.S. After returning to China, he led Beijing Zion Church with Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri. Following the church’s ban by authorities in 2018, Wang Lin relocated to Shanghai, where he continued to do pastoral work, maintaining church life through small gatherings and online preaching.
Since June 2025, Wang Lin’s family has repeatedly faced harassment from the local public security and religious affairs department, forcing them to relocate frequently. Church members state that landlords were pressured each time they rented a home, and the children’s schooling was repeatedly disrupted.
Tightened Religious Regulations in China
In September of this year, the Chinese government issued new regulations on the management of religions, further restricting unapproved online religious activities and requiring relevant content to be published only through officially registered platforms.
Analysts note that the Zion Church case illustrates the Chinese authorities’ continued tightening of control over independent religious groups. Beijing’s supervision of civil society organizations, online religious content, and interregional faith networks has become undeniably stricter.
ChinaAid is strongly urging the authorities to release Pastor Wang Lin and his wife, Su Ziming. — China Aid Association
