(Minghui.org) A man in Jinan City, Shandong Province, remains detained since his arrest in early June 2026, for his faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
The ordeal of Mr. Xu Wenlong, an art teacher born in 1986, stemmed from a brief conversation he had with a delivery worker, who recorded their encounter without his knowledge. The worker submitted the recording with police as evidence that Mr. Xu talked to him about Falun Gong.
The police searched Mr. Xu’s home twice afterwards but didn’t find any further evidence against him. He lived away from home after the raids, and was put on the wanted list. He was arrested on the afternoon of June 6, 2026, while walking along Dongziwenhua Street in Dezhou City, Shandong Province (about 80 miles from Jinan City).
Mr. Xu was taken to the Jinan City First Detention Center (also known as Zhonggong Detention Center), where he remains.
This is not the first time that Mr. Xu has been targeted for his faith. He previously served two prison terms totaling ten years and three months. This latest arrest came after he was last released in August 2025.
Past Persecution
Mr. Xu, a native of Muling City, Heilongjiang Province, took up Falun Gong when studying at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. On June 17, 2011, one year after he graduated, the then 25-year-old was arrested and sentenced to eight years by the Chaoyang District Court in Beijing. He was transferred to Tailai Prison in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province, on December 26, 2012, and was brutally tortured there.
Mr. Xu moved to Jinan City, Shandong Province after he was released in 2019. He was arrested again in April 2022 for distributing QR codes to access software to circumvent the Chinese Communist Party’s Internet censorship and was given six months of house arrest. When the six-month house arrest was about to expire, the police took him back into custody on October 4. They handcuffed his wrists behind his back until the next afternoon. They also collected a blood sample and threatened to kill him. Mr. Xu was later taken to a designated location and placed on residential surveillance for six months. He held a hunger strike to protest and was released on December 23, 2022.
Mr. Xu was arrested around May 2023 and was sentenced to two years and three months by the Tianqiao District Court in June 2024. He was transferred to the 11th Division of Shandong Province Prison in August 2024, where he again suffered torture. He was released in August 2025.
See the related reports for details of Mr. Xu’s past persecution.
Related Reports:
Belated News: Art Teacher Sentenced Again After an 8-Year Term for His Faith, Tortured in Prison
Shandong Teacher Detained Incommunicado, Students Long for His Return
Shandong Man Held Incommunicado Nearly Two Months for Practicing Falun Gong
Police Arrest Falun Gong Practitioner and His Cousin, Draw Their Blood for Organ Matching Database
Young Artist Brutally Tortured in Prison for His Faith
Art Student Tortured in Tailai Prison
Falun Gong Practioners Brutally Persecuted at Tailai Prison
Tailai Prison Intensifies Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners
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