Religious belief is reportedly being included in routine administrative checks at public institutions in parts of China, with a public hospital in Chengdu asking employees to disclose whether they practise a religion. Education authorities are also reportedly collecting information about the religious backgrounds of students and their families.

Documents cited by The Epoch Times and accounts from people familiar with the practices indicate that the reported scrutiny extends across healthcare and education institutions. The measures are linked to requirements concerning ideological, ethnic and religious affairs, while Communist Party members are reportedly subject to additional restrictions on religious practice.

Chengdu Hospital Asks Employees To Disclose Faith

A public hospital in Chengdu reportedly required permanent employees, contracted workers and temporary staff to state whether they followed a religion as part of a comprehensive survey of religious beliefs.

According to documents cited by The Epoch Times, the exercise was linked to requirements for the “regular investigation of ideological, ethnic, and religious work”. Employees were reportedly instructed to provide the information without exception.

Those who did not follow any religion were required to select “no religious belief”, according to the report. The survey therefore covered both employees who identified with a religion and those who did not.

Communist Party Members Face Religious Restrictions

The reported scrutiny also extended to members of the Chinese Communist Party. A notice issued by the hospital reportedly stated that CCP members are not permitted to practise any religion.

Employees who identified themselves as religious were also instructed to report the matter to their Party branch, according to the report.

The reported requirements place religious affiliation within an administrative process that also involves political and ideological oversight at the institution.

Schools Reportedly Collect Religious Details

The reported collection of religious information is not limited to the healthcare sector. The Epoch Times cited an administrative employee at a university in Sichuan, identified as Chen, as saying that educational institutions were investigating the religious beliefs of students and their family members.

Chen reportedly said schools were gathering the information and passing it on to higher authorities. The accounts indicate that the scrutiny can extend beyond students to their families.

An employee working with Chengdu’s education authorities also reportedly told the publication that annual background checks are conducted on students’ families before children enter school. Religious affiliation is reportedly among the details collected during these checks.

China’s Wider Oversight Of Religious Affairs

The reported practices come amid China’s broader approach to regulating religious activity through political and ideological oversight. The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly called for stronger Party leadership over religious affairs.

Under the policy of the “Sinicization of religion”, religious groups are expected to align their activities with Chinese political and cultural priorities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has also called for tighter Party control over religious affairs. According to The Epoch Times, Xi reiterated in 2025 that Party authorities at all levels should strengthen their leadership over religious work and incorporate it into the Party’s broader system of governance.

The reported checks at hospitals and schools therefore appear to reflect a wider effort to record and monitor religious affiliation within public institutions, extending in some cases from individuals to their families.

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