Chinese authorities demolish Protestant church with excavators in Wenzhou
In March 2026, a church in the city of Wenzhou was covered with tarpaulin, and the cross on the bell tower was dismantled. Photo: ChinaAid
In the epicenter of Chinese Christianity, the city of Wenzhou, which is called the "Chinese Jerusalem" due to its large number of believers, Chinese authorities completely demolished the Protestant Yazhong Church, reports the human rights organization ChinaAid.
The demolition of the multi-story church building, also known as Yayan, began on Monday, May 18, 2026, and by 11:00 AM on Tuesday, May 19, it had been turned into a pile of construction debris. Heavy excavators were used to destroy the structure.
The action took place amid a new wave of repression against religious freedoms in the country.
As the UOJ reported, in China, crosses are being removed from churches and Christians are being arrested. In Zhejiang Province, authorities have been actively implementing a policy of "sinicization" of religion in recent years, including the dismantling of religious structures.
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