Two leaders of Ganquan Church in Hefei, capital of Anhui province (Elder Ding Zhongfu, pictured left, and Pastor Zhou Songlin) have been given prison sentences of four and four-and-a-half years respectively for “fraud”, an increasingly common charge against leaders of unregistered churches.
On 13 February the People’s Court of Shushan District in Hefei handed down a verdict in the long-running Ganquan Church case, which began with a crackdown in 2023. The court sentenced Pastor Zhou to four years and six months’ imprisonment (term ending 31 May 2028) and a fine of RMB 30,000 (approximately €3,700) and sentenced Elder Ding to four years’ imprisonment (term ending 30 November 2027) and a fine of RMB 28,000 (€3,450).
The court also ordered the recovery of more than RMB 366,000 (€45,000) in so-called “illegal gains”, with instructions to pursue any remaining amount, and authorised the disposal of seized property and frozen bank accounts. The “illegal gains” are church members’ voluntary tithes and offerings used to purchase two properties for worship and communal activities.
Ganquan Church has existed for around twenty years and has over four hundred members. The case against it began on 30 November 2023, when police raided and searched the homes of Pastor Zhou, Elder Ding (the church treasurer) and several co‑workers. The two leaders and three co-workers (Mao Junma, Pei Defei and Yang Peiyun) were placed in criminal detention, but following interrogation the co-workers were released on bail on 28 December 2023.
Pastor Zhou and Elder Ding were arrested on suspicion of fraud and held in pretrial detention in Hefei Detention Centre for more than two years. Prosecutors alleged that “with the purpose of illegal possession and under the guise of religion” they had defrauded church members of more than RMB 3.39 million (€418,000).
On 30 April 2024, Shushan District Police transferred the case to the Shushan District Court for prosecution. The two leaders’ wives publicly asserted their husbands’ innocence and denied any fraudulent activities, stating that church funds were all used for worship and community needs. Several church members submitted petitions to the Hefei Religious Affairs Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Team affirming that there had been no deception or fraud and that the accusations were fabricated, but the authorities did not respond.
The case went through several pretrial conferences and court hearings, including a public trial from 16–24 July 2025, with repeated delays. During the trial multiple church members testified that their offerings were voluntary acts based on faith and not the result of deception, and the defence emphasised that the case lacked the constitutive elements of fraud such as intent to deceive.
The repeated delays in the case, from its initiation in 2023 to the verdict this month, reflect what China Aid describes as “a common feature in the adjudication of religious cases in China, deliberate ‘procedural torment’.” Such practices, the organisation notes, “are often intended to wear down families and reduce public attention”.
As well as the pressure of long delays and uncertainty about the future on the Ganquan leaders’ families, the church will continue to struggle with the absence of its core leaders and loss of financial resources.
Commenting on the nature of the charges, China Aid explained, “In the past, charges such as ‘illegal business operations’ or administrative bans were more common; now, ‘fraud’ has become a new tool, enabling direct property deprivation and smearing church leaders’ reputations.”
Dr Bob Fu issues statement
Dr Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid, issued the following statement on the Ganquan Church case:
“The sentencing of Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu marks another dangerous escalation in the Chinese Communist Party’s systematic suppression of the Christian faith. By labelling believers’ voluntary tithes and offerings as ‘fraud,’ the authorities are not enforcing the law but weaponising and instrumentalising it. This case clearly shows that in today’s China, even the most fundamental religious practices can be distorted into criminal offenses.
“In any normal society, the voluntary offerings of believers, based on conscience and faith, used for church operations and the fundamental livelihood of clergy, constitute a core component of religious freedom. However, the CCP authorities now stigmatise this as criminal behaviour. Their real goal is to cut off the financial sources of house churches, confiscate church properties, imprison spiritual leaders, intimidate believers, and marginalise or even eliminate independent faith communities.
“Pastor Zhou and Elder Ding are not criminals; they are prisoners of conscience who have suffered injustice for their faith. We call on the international community, democratic governments, and all who cherish religious freedom and the rule of law to speak out publicly and clearly, and to exert sustained and effective pressure on the Chinese government. ChinaAid Association will continue to stand with Ganquan Church and the families of the two pastors, persistently advocating for their freedom and justice until righteousness prevails.”
(Bitter Winter, China Aid)
Image: China Aid