Frequently Asked Questions

Pastor Wang Yi was and remains the senior pastor of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, elder of the West China Presbytery, and missionary.

Born on June 1, 1973, in Santai County, Sichuan Province, he graduated from Sichuan University School of Law in 1996 and taught at Chengdu University. He was baptized on December 25, 2005, and co-founded Early Rain Blessing Church (fellowship) that same year. He was elected as teaching elder in 2009 and ordained as pastor in 2011. He was arrested on December 9, 2018, and sentenced to nine years in prison by the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court on December 30, 2019, on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power' and 'illegal business operations.'

He is currently serving his sentence at Sichuan Provincial Prison in Huopen Town, Jintang County, Chengdu.

Wang Yi went from university lecturer to public intellectual (constitutional scholar and author), from public intellectual to church pastor, and now from pastor to a servant imprisoned for the Lord, an ambassador in chains.

Pastor Wang Yi's scheduled release date is December 9, 2027. After release, he will also face an additional three years of 'deprivation of political rights.'

To this day, the outside world has virtually no access to any specific information about Pastor Wang Yi's condition.

In 2019, a few classical Chinese poems he wrote to his wife, son, and parents were smuggled out of prison, along with one photo taken in an interrogation room.

The court verdict and his defense statement have never been made public. Pastor Wang Yi chose not to appeal the first-instance verdict. In his pre-written 'My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience' from October 2018, he stated: 'I will serve my sentence but not obey the law; I will submit to punishment but not plead guilty.' 'Those who imprison me will ultimately be imprisoned by angels; those who interrogate me will ultimately be interrogated by Christ.'

Reports indicate that Pastor Wang Yi has lost significant weight in prison, dropping from over 190 jin (about 210 lbs) to approximately 140 jin (about 154 lbs).

Pastor Wang Yi's wife is Jiang Rong. They attended the same school from kindergarten through high school and became classmates in their second year of high school. In 1992, Jiang Rong was admitted to Chongqing University and Wang Yi to Sichuan University; during their four years of college, they exchanged over 800 love letters. They married in 1997, and their son Wang Shuya was born in 2007.

Jiang Rong was arrested together with Pastor Wang Yi on December 9, 2018, placed under residential surveillance at a designated location for six months, then under home surveillance for another year, completely cut off from the outside world. To this day, Jiang Rong's freedom of movement remains restricted and she is barred from leaving the country.

Their son Shuya was only 11 years old when his father was arrested; after both parents were detained, he was raised by his grandparents. His passport was confiscated and he is also barred from leaving the country.

Pastor Wang Yi's father, Wang Zhengfang, is a retired high school Chinese language teacher, and his mother, Chen Yaxue, is a retired business manager.

The Chengdu Intermediate People's Court announced:

'On December 30, 2019, the court publicly sentenced Wang Yi on charges of inciting subversion of state power and illegal business operations, imposing a combined sentence of nine years in prison, three years' deprivation of political rights, and confiscation of personal property totaling RMB 50,000.'

Although the verdict was publicly announced, the trial itself was not open. The prosecution's indictment and the court's written verdict have never been released, and Pastor Wang Yi's defense statement remains unknown to the outside world. The authorities have not reported on the case.

On December 30, 2019, Early Rain Covenant Church issued a statement declaring that Pastor Wang Yi 'is a faithful servant chosen by God and the Lord Christ';
he 'never engaged in any so-called illegal business operations';
he 'never made any statements or took any actions to incite subversion of state power';
'Pastor Wang Yi's arrest, imprisonment, and sentencing constitute persecution for the Christian faith and a testimony of Christ's suffering for the glory of God';
and that the charges against him 'are part of the unjust persecution suffered by Chinese house churches.'

Wang Yi Library comprehensively archives virtually all of Pastor Wang Yi's sermons, lectures, articles, and books since his baptism in 2005, enabling visitors to independently assess this question.

Family worship began on April 1, 2005, with the establishment of a Bible study group. In 2008, 'Early Rain Blessing Church' was formally established. In 2009, a session of elders and a board of deacons were formed. In 2013, the church joined the West China Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. In 2017, Early Rain Blessing Church divided into Covenant Hall and Baihua Hall. On January 7, 2018, Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church officially became an independent congregation.

On December 9, 2018, the church experienced the 'December 9 Crackdown.' Besides Pastor Wang Yi's nine-year sentence, Elder Qin Defu was sentenced to four years for 'illegal business operations' (he has since been released). Numerous church members were taken to police stations and pressured to leave the church; 29 individuals were administratively detained for up to 38 days, and another 28 were criminally detained for up to over eight months.

After the crackdown, advisory pastor Chen Biao (an expelled American missionary) led the church in continuing worship primarily online. Around 2020, some formerly imprisoned or dispersed pastors and co-workers gradually returned to Chengdu, and the church transitioned to a hybrid model of online and in-person gatherings. Currently, in addition to the main Early Rain Covenant Church, there are Grace Covenant Hall and Grace Righteousness Hall, with several outreach points in other cities.

On January 6, 2026, Early Rain Covenant Church experienced another crackdown. Currently, Elder Li Yingqiang and Evangelist Dai Zhichao, leaders of the main church, have been formally arrested on charges of 'suspected inciting subversion of state power,' while Associate Deacon Jia Xuewei and Brother Ye Fenghua have been placed under residential surveillance on the same charges.

From the 'December 9, 2018 Crackdown' and the 'January 6, 2026 Crackdown' to this day, Early Rain Covenant Church continues to uphold its vision of 'Gospel for China, Kingdom for the Church, Christ for Culture' and 'Christ is Lord, Grace is King, Bear the Cross, Advance the Gospel,' persisting on the path of church openness. Despite continuous and severe persecution, the church has never ceased its gatherings.

Visit the Wang Yi Library website at wangyilibrary.com or wangyiwenku.com.

Currently, Wang Yi Library systematically and comprehensively archives Pastor Wang Yi's text, audio, and video materials — approximately 1,600 items — which you can search on the website.

The library features a 'Sermons' section that collects all available sermons by Pastor Wang Yi, organized into six categories: Sermon Series, Festival Sermons, Camp Sermons, Wedding Sermons, Academy Sermons, and Overseas Sermons. All sermons include audio; most have edited transcripts, and some include video.

Additionally, Wang Yi Library's YouTube channel hosts nearly all of Pastor Wang Yi's video materials and some audio materials — over 500 items in total, some with Chinese or English subtitles.

On the Wang Yi Library website, you can find 63 sermons from Pastor Wang Yi's 'Darkness Cannot Overcome the Light' Gospel of Matthew sermon series (the complete series has 68 sermons; 5 were preached by other pastors and are not included in the library).

You can find the 'Matthew Series' directly in the 'Sermon Series' section on the homepage;
you can click 'Sermons' on the homepage, then select 'Sermon Series' to find the 'Matthew Series';
or you can search for 'Matthew Series' using the search function on the homepage.

The old domain wangyilibrary.org is no longer active. The new domains are wangyilibrary.com and wangyiwenku.com.

If you are unable to access the site, it may be due to network restrictions — try using a VPN.

If you still experience issues, you can reach out through the contact information on the 'About Us' page.

I. Before Conversion (print and e-books, not archived in Wang Yi Library):
1. 'A Train Full of Geese,' film reviews, Hunan Fine Arts, 2002
2. 'The Jianghu of Disobedience,' essays, Shanghai SDX Joint, 2003
3. 'So Beautiful It Alarmed the Central Government,' selected essays, self-printed, 2024.

II. After Conversion (author-approved, all print books, e-books archived in Wang Yi Library):
1. 'Constitutionalism: The Turning Point of Ideas and Institutions,' monograph, Shandong People's, 2006
2. 'Heaven Was Silent for Half an Hour,' film reviews, Jiangxi People's, 2007
3. 'I Have Peace Like a River,' film reviews, Jiangxi People's, 2008
4. 'The Rise of Freedom: Calvinism and Five Governments, 16th-18th Century,' co-translation, Jiangxi People's, 2008
5. 'Kissing God,' selected essays, self-printed, 2008
6. 'Heaven Was Silent for Half an Hour: Faith Reflections in Film' (unabridged), film reviews, Taiwan Cosmic Light, 2010
7. 'A Lifelong Gaze: Christ and Life Interview Series' Vol.1, co-authored, Taiwan Christian Arts Press, 2010
8. 'Weekly Pastoral Letters: Mobilizing Souls,' pastoral letters, Early Rain Blessing Church, 2010
9. 'Wings Like a Dove: Christ and Life Interview Series' Vol.2, co-authored, Taiwan Christian Arts Press, 2011
10. 'Weekly Pastoral Letters: Federation of Angels,' pastoral letters, Early Rain Blessing Church, 2011
11. 'Observing Urban House Churches in China,' monograph, co-authored, Taiwan Christian Arts Press, 2012
12. 'Freedom in the Depths of the Soul' (Kissing God II), selected essays, Taiwan Christian Arts Press, 2012
13. 'Weekly Pastoral Letters: Reformed Education,' pastoral letters, Early Rain Blessing Church, 2012
14. 'Weekly Pastoral Letters: City Light,' pastoral letters, Early Rain Blessing Church, 2013
15. 'The Cathedral: Twenty Years of Selected Poems,' self-printed, 2014
16. 'Classical Christian Education,' academic essays, co-authored, Early Rain Reformed Academy, 2015
17. 'Good News You Don't Want to Hear,' gospel booklet, Covenant Library, 2016
18. 'Loud Meditation,' selected essays, Hong Kong Covenant, 2017
19. 'Gospel Coup: Meditations on the Reformation,' selected essays, Hong Kong Covenant, 2017
20. 'Short Catechism,' poetry, self-printed, 2018
21. 'Mobilizing Souls: Devotional Letters from the Pastoral Front,' selected essays, Hong Kong Covenant, 2018
22. 'Political Power and Divine Authority: Conversations on Chinese House Churches,' interviews, co-authored, Early Rain Covenant Church, 2018.

III. After Arrest (edited compilations, e-books unless noted, archived in Wang Yi Library):
1. 'Wang Yi Collected Works: Christ Is Lord — On Church-State Relations,' anonymous editor, ChinaAid, 2019
2. 'Wang Yi Collected Works: Grace Is King — The Humble Dissenter,' anonymous editor, ChinaAid, 2020
3. 'Wang Yi Collected Works: Bearing the Cross — History of Chinese House Churches,' anonymous editor, ChinaAid, 2020
4. 'My Life Is Arriving at Glory,' poetry recital collection, edited by brothers and sisters, Early Rain Holy Work, 2021
5. 'Bearing the Cross: A History of Chinese House Churches (1807-2018),' print book, Vancouver Chinese Christian Church, 2022 (Korean print edition available)
6. 'A Spiritual Conversation,' pastoral letters collection, Wang Yi Library Editorial, Early Rain Holy Work, 2022
7. 'Faithful Disobedience, Writings,' Wang Yi and Others, edited by Hannah Nation and J.D. Tseng, InterVarsity Press, 2022 (print, not archived; German print edition available)
8. 'Entering a Spiritual Marriage,' marriage ministry collection, Wang Yi Library Editorial, Early Rain Holy Work, 2023
9. 'A Person Centered in Christ,' bilingual print book, Wang Yi Library Editorial, Early Rain Holy Work, 2023
10. 'Blessed Are Those Educated by God,' Christian education collection, Wang Yi Library Editorial, Early Rain Holy Work, 2024
11. 'A Visible City on a Hill,' public theology collection, Wang Yi Library Editorial, Early Rain Holy Work, 2025.

Wang Yi Library was established by Early Rain Holy Work and officially launched on June 1, 2021 (Pastor Wang Yi's birthday).

Early Rain Holy Work is a legally registered non-profit gospel organization in the United States, founded and operated by a group of Christians who care about and identify with Early Rain Church and Pastor Wang Yi.

Volunteers from around the world participate in building, maintaining, and operating the library by collecting, organizing, editing, and distributing Pastor Wang Yi's ministry materials.

Early Rain Holy Work and Wang Yi Library share the vision of Early Rain Covenant Church, utilizing materials accumulated by the church over the years. At the same time, Early Rain Covenant Church frequently uses resources organized by the library in its preaching and ministry.

Early Rain Covenant Church is an independent house church in China; Early Rain Holy Work is an independent gospel organization in the United States; and Wang Yi Library is one of the key ministries of Early Rain Holy Work.

No.

On one hand, due to the 'December 9 Crackdown,' some original materials were confiscated or destroyed — especially audio and video materials, many of which remain missing to this day.

On the other hand, Wang Yi Library currently only archives works produced after Pastor Wang Yi's baptism on December 25, 2005. A very small number of earlier works have been included, but only those reviewed or revised by Pastor Wang Yi himself.

Wang Yi Library currently archives over 1,600 text, audio, and video items from after Pastor Wang Yi's conversion, making it a systematic, comprehensive, and practical resource platform.

Content is organized as follows: Sermons (Series, Festival, Wedding, Academy, Camp, Overseas)
Lectures (Forums, Seminars, Interviews, Courses, Bible Study)
Articles (Pastoral Letters, Devotionals, Poetry, Film Reviews, Essays, Papers, Documents)
Books (Author-approved, Edited compilations).

Users can quickly search by keyword using the website's search function.

Video materials can also be found on Wang Yi Library's YouTube channel (some with Chinese or English subtitles).

The website also features supplementary sections such as 'About' and 'Give' to help visitors learn more.

On February 4, 2026, the website suffered a malicious attack that wiped all content from the original domain, rendering it inaccessible.

Wang Yi Library has since adopted new domains: wangyilibrary.com and wangyiwenku.com. The site is now running stably, and content is being progressively restored and improved.

Wang Yi Library is dedicated to presenting Pastor Wang Yi's faith, ministry, and life witness, responding to the challenges and gospel needs of contemporary society, and leading people to Christ.

First, please pray for the library's reconstruction.
'Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.' (Psalm 127:1) Pray that the Lord would protect this ministry, resist all obstacles, and enable the truth to be proclaimed and the church to be built up.

Second, please serve alongside us.
'Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.' (1 Peter 4:10) We need co-workers in text editing, web development, audio/video production, subtitling, translation, and outreach.

Third, please support the ministry through giving.
'Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously... God loves a cheerful giver.' (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) Donations will be used for content organization, technical maintenance, equipment, English translation, book publishing, and event hosting — so that suppressed voices may continue to be heard.