2003 - Zhang Hongmei

October 30, 2003

Pingdu, Shandong

Zhang Hongmei was a Christian woman belonging to a house church in Dong Miaodong village, near Pingdu City in Shandong Province. Zhang was arrested by the police on October 29, 2003, and taken to the local police station for questioning. She was charged with “illegally carrying out religious activities,” meaning she was involved in an unregistered house church that refused to come under the authority of the Three-Self Church. That afternoon, her family received a call and were told to pay a bribe of 3,000 Yuan (US$ 380) to secure her release. Being poor farmers, the family was unable to raise the money so at about seven o’clock in the evening Zhang’s husband, Xu Fenghai, and her brother went to the Public Security office to plead for her release. They were shocked to see her chained up and so seriously wounded from being beaten that she was unable to speak. Despite their protests, the two men were forced to return home.

On the following afternoon, October 30th, the family was summoned to the police station. They were told that Zhang had died earlier that day. An autopsy revealed “several wounds to her face, hands and leg, along with serious internal bleeding.”[1] News of Zhang’s murder shocked and angered the whole community. The following day approximately 1,000 people marched on the city offices demanding an inquiry. Nothing was ever done.

The totally unnecessary nature of 33-year-old Zhang Hongmei’s martyrdom makes the incident even sadder. It seems the police did not really have any desire to persecute her, but rather planned to use her in a bid to extort money from the Christian community.