(Minghui.org)
Name: Zhou ShaoshanChinese Name: 周绍山Gender: MaleAge: 72City: TaiyuanProvince: ShanxiOccupation: retiree of the Shanxi Province Association for Science and TechnologyDate of Death: September 21, 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 7, 2019Most Recent Place of Detention: Jinzhong Prison
A 72-year-old man in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province died on September 21, 2026, four years after he completed a three-year prison term for his faith in Falun Gong.
Mr. Zhou Shaoshan, born on February 11, 1954, was arrested on September 7, 2019, together with his wife, Ms. Gao Jiping, and their daughter, Ms. Zhou Na, who both practice Falun Gong too.
The Wanbailin District Court convicted all of them around September 2020, with the couple both given three years and their daughter two years.
Mr. Zhou was admitted to the Jinzhong Prison on March 30, 2021, while his daughter remained at the Taiyuan City Fourth Detention Center (also known as the Gujiao Detention Center) to complete her term. Ms. Gao, who was released on bail ten days after her arrest, was eventually taken back into custody on March 4, 2026, to serve time. She is currently held at the Shanxi Province Women’s Prison.
Mr. Zhou was held at the division for the elderly and the infirm in the prison. He refused to renounce Falun Gong despite the guards’ repeated demands. About two weeks before the end of his prison term in early September 2022, he suddenly couldn’t eat or drink. The guards wanted to send him to a hospital, but he declined (likely fearing being drugged, as there have been many reported cases of Falun Gong practitioners given toxic drugs in the name of “medical care”). He was then forced to sign a waiver relieving the prison of any responsibility should anything happen to him.
When Mr. Zhou was released, agents from the Taiyuan City 610 Office and the Qianfengnan Road Police Station carried him out of the prison, as he had been too weak to walk by himself. They took him to the police station and forced him to sign some paperwork before allowing his family to pick him up.
His family noted that he was slow to respond, had memory issues, and couldn’t think clearly. He remained unable to eat or drink. They suspected that he had been abused in prison for holding firm to his faith.
Mr. Zhou and his family also faced constant harassment from the police after his release, especially since 2025 when the police attempted to take his wife back into custody to serve the three-year term given in 2020. They eventually arrested her on March 4, 2026, and put her in jail. Mr. Zhou was devastated and became completely bedridden. He died six months later.
Mr. Zhou’s passing capped years of persecution for his faith. He served in the Beijing Garrison and the Shanxi Provincial Garrison for many years before transitioning to civilian life. He worked as a driver in the Shanxi Association for Science and Technology, but was later fired for practicing Falun Gong. He was also denied social security and health insurance benefits.
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