(Excerpts from “'Little Guardians': China’s Campaign to Mold Children into Anti-Religious Crusaders”. Article published on August 29, 2025.)

[…] In a series of summer activities in Shanghai’s Baoshan District, children were trained to become “little guardians” of the community—armed not with curiosity or compassion, but with slogans and scripts designed to vilify “illegal” religious groups labeled as xie jiao (often translated as “evil cults” but meaning “organizations spreading heterodox teachings”). Earlier this summer, in the Baoshan District, children had already been mobilized to distribute anti-xie-jiao flyers.

[…] Children were encouraged to recite anti-xie jiao rhetoric, distribute pamphlets, and even perform skits that demonize religious minorities. […] An account published by the China Anti-Xie-Jiao Association praises the “pure power” of children defending their “harmonious homeland,” as if innocence were a weapon to be wielded against dissent.

Perhaps the most unsettling moment came when children were ushered into a real courtroom to participate in a mock trial. Under the guidance of actual judges, they assumed roles as “judges,” “prosecutors,” “defendants,” and “defense lawyers,” reenacting a criminal case in full procedural detail and “sentencing” xie jiao members to heavy jail penalties. […] Immediately following the mock trial, children were given a “rule-of-law” lecture titled “Revere Science, Stay Away from Xie Jiao.” This lecture used real-life cases to reinforce the dangers of religious groups deemed unacceptable by the state. This immersive experience blurred the line between education and indoctrination, turning the courtroom—theoretically a symbol of justice—into a stage for ideological conditioning.