A prayer letter circulating among house churches in China has drawn attention to the case of a Christian woman named Xin Ruoyu, from Guangzhou province, who was detained by Shandong police in late July over her involvement in developing the Christian app “Song of Songs”.

Police took Xin Ruoyu to Guangzhou, where she is believed to be undergoing interrogation in an extrajudicial “black room”. She is in her early 30s, has a young child and has been described as “a loving, caring, and very frail woman”. The prayer letter asks for God to strengthen her faith, grant her a healthy body, and provide comfort and care for her family.

The “Song of Songs” app offers hundreds of thousands of Chinese and foreign hymns and music videos and also includes various hymn books, sheet music, sermons from well-known pastors around the world and Bible readings in multiple languages.

In recent years China has introduced regulations that severely restrict online Christian content. Bible-related WeChat accounts have been blocked, Bible app downloads have been prevented and almost all Christian music has been removed from online platforms.

Last month, the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Xishan district, Kunming city issued a notice to Christian lawyer Xie Qida ordering him to remove hymns he had posted on TikTok. The notice, which was issued after he posted a hymn on 2 August, read: “Xie Qida: You are suspected of singing a large number of Christian hymns in the short videos of the Tik Tok account… Immediately stop illegal activities and complete the rectification before 12:00 on August 5, 2024. The specific rectification content and requirements are as follows: Delete videos of singing Christian hymns on all online media.”

(China Aid)

Photo: China Aid