(Minghui.org)
Name: Hou RuilanChinese Name: 侯瑞兰Gender: FemaleAge: 77City: QingdaoProvince: ShandongOccupation: N/ADate of Death: March 20, 2026Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 8, 2012Most Recent Place of Detention: Shandong Province Women’s Prison
Ms. Hou Ruilan was deaf in both ears and emaciated beyond recognition when she completed a one-year prison term in September 2013 for practicing Falun Gong. As the Qingdao City, Shandong Province resident held firm to her faith, she faced constant harassment from the local police in the years that followed. Her health kept worsening, and she developed lung cancer. She died on March 20, 2026, at the age of 77.
Ms. Hou, born on October 20, 1948, took up Falun Gong in 1998 and soon recovered from various ailments, including pharyngitis, rhinitis, nasal polyps, duodenitis, and pyelonephritis.
After the communist regime launched a nationwide campaign against Falun Gong in July 1999, Ms. Hou held firm to her faith and was repeatedly targeted. She was arrested on September 8, 2012, and sentenced to one year on March 22, 2013. She was admitted to the Shandong Province Women’s Prison on May 25, 2013.
The prison guards forced Ms. Hou to read and watch materials slandering Falun Gong and ordered her to write thought reports and various statements to renounce Falun Gong. She was also intermittently forced to do hard labor.
Ms. Hou’s health quickly declined due to the mental pressure and abuse. Her family couldn’t even recognize her when she was released on September 8, 2013. She sported a full head of gray hair and was extremely thin. She also lost hearing in both ears.
Ms. Hou filed a criminal complaint on June 16, 2015, against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for launching the persecution of Falun Gong. Three officers from the Changjiang Road Police Station broke into her home on June 16, 2016, and forced her to open her locked cabinets and chests. They searched the furniture and took pictures without showing a search warrant. They didn’t find any incriminating evidence against her, but kept pressuring her to reveal the addresses of other local Falun Gong practitioners.
From June 8 to 20, 2018, a car was seen parked outside Ms. Hou’s apartment building 24/7. There were people shadowing her everywhere, even when she went shopping.
Shao Jun and another officer from the Changjiang Road Police Station broke into Ms. Hou’s home at noon on July 18, 2019. She was not in, and they told her grandson and granddaughter (both minors) to expect them the next day. They did return the next day and questioned if Ms. Hou still practiced Falun Gong. She said yes, and Shao asked for her phone number. She refused to comply.
From mid-September to late October 2019, a surveillance car was again spotted outside Ms. Hou’s apartment building. On October 16 of that year, officer Shao and deputy captain Yu Zhiwei harassed her at home. In the next few months, the police came at least four more times and took pictures of her.
The police also pressured Ms. Hou’s family into restraining her freedom in her final years. Her family did not allow her to have contact with other local practitioners. Even if she managed to get in touch with some practitioners, she would quickly be stopped by her family.
Ms. Hou was later diagnosed with lung cancer. She could only drink a little milk after the surgery. She had a sallow complexion and was extremely weak. She passed away on March 20, 2026.
Falun Gong Practitioners Ms. Gao Lihong and Ms. Hou Ruilan from Qingdao City Illegally Sentenced