(Minghui.org) Eight residents of Pingdu City, Shandong Province were arrested on January 7, 2026 for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
The arrests took place at two private homes. One of the practitioners remains detained at the time of writing.
According to insiders, the Qingdao City Police Department launched a new round of persecution of local Falun Gong practitioners in November 2025. Its subordinate police agencies, including the Pingdu City Police Department, were instructed to harass the practitioners’ families and monitor the practitioners, before making the arrests. Qingdao oversees Pingdu.
Five Arrested Together
Ms. Li Yuju, 62, Ms. Zhang Jie, 58, Ms. Quan Shumei, in her 60s, and Mr. Jiang Kefeng, 64, were arrested at Ms. Wang Huimin’s home, while the five of them were studying Falun Gong teachings together. Ms. Wang, in her 60s, was so shocked by the sudden police presence that she fainted. Her home was raided, and she was released on bail on January 9.
Ms. Li was taken to the Pingdu City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Team. The police raided her home at 7 p.m. that night. The next day she was transferred to the Taishan Road Police Station and then the Tonghe Police Station. Her son hired a lawyer to defend her. She was taken to the hospital for a physical exam on January 9, before being put on criminal detention at the Qingdao City Detention Center. She remains detained to this day.
Ms. Zhang was taken to the Liyuan Police Station and given a physical exam the next day. She was then given ten days of administrative detention and released on January 17.
Mr. Jiang was released hours after his arrest, only to be taken back into custody on January 15. After a few hours at the Liyuan Police Station, he was taken to the Mencun Lockup, where he served five days of administrative detention.
Another Three Arrested Together
Ms. Hou Xiuzhen, 81, was hosting Mr. Sun Changhe, 75 and a retired power plant worker, and Ms. Cui Xiangying, 62, on January 7, when she heard unusual sounds in her front yard. She looked out the window to see police everywhere in the yard. They took her to the Chengguan Police Station and raided her home twice. She was released the following night.
Mr. Sun was also taken to the Chengguan Police Station. The police took him to a local hospital at 9 p.m. the next day for a physical exam. He was released on January 9.
Ms. Cui refused to go with the police and was handcuffed. Upon discovering she had previously been given a three-year labor camp term for practicing Falun Gong, the police threatened to put her in jail again. They later indicated plans to give her one week of detention. During a physical exam the next night, her systolic blood pressure was 220 mmHg (when a normal range is 120 or lower). A repeat measurement still showed dangerously high blood pressure. The police ordered the doctor to give her some hypertension medication, before taking her to a local detention center. The guards there measured her blood pressure and declined to admit her upon seeing that the reading stood at 202 mmHg. The police released her that night, January 8.
Several Other Practitioners Harassed
In early January 2026, three other local Falun Gong practitioners were also harassed, including Ms. Hou Xiuxiang, Ms. Sheng Shuli, and Ms. Hou Meixian, 74. Their homes were ransacked. After the police broke into Ms. Hou Mexian’s home, they locked her door from inside to prevent her family from entering. They left without arresting her.
Three other practitioners also had their family members, who do not practice Falun Gong, harassed, including Ms. Wang Dongmei’s husband, Ms. Qu Yuanzhi’s husband, and Ms. Zhan Zhongxiang’s son.
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