Getting Off the Beaten Path
China is a nation filled with cities. In the West, some of these cities are familiar to us: cities like Beijing and Shanghai, world class cities that have achieved global fame. Many of us are also familiar with other major Chinese cities, like Chengdu, Xi’an, or Guangzhou. If you have followed our prayer ministry for a while, then you probably know Chinese cities better than most.
But there are many, many more cities in China, cities where house church Christians are striving to be faithful to the call of the gospel.
That’s why, in 2026, we’re going to step a bit off the beaten path. We’re going to explore cities that many in the West have never heard of, cities that are not the leading cities in their provinces but where the Lord is at work all the same. In this exploration, we will see how the gospel is saturating the urban landscape in China, going deeper than just the major city centers.
In 2026, we’re going to step a bit off the beaten path. We’re going to explore cities that many in the West have never heard of.
These off-the-beaten-path cities are still enormous, of course: even China’s lesser-known cities still boast populations of millions of people. However, most of these cities are not the biggest cities in their respective provinces, nor the cities that typically get the most attention. We are going to journey down rivers and across mountains, taking trains down the coastline and freeways into the frigid north. We are going to learn about places often overlooked by Western eyes…but not overlooked by God. In this way, we will get an extraordinary glimpse of God’s faithfulness across the vast country of China.
Living Off The Beaten Path
This focus on off-the-beaten path cities is especially close to my heart. From 2015 to 2017, my wife and I lived in China, teaching English and building relationships with students. But we did not live in a major city like Beijing or Shanghai: instead, we lived in the northwest, in the province of Inner Mongolia.
The city where we lived was large, but it was not one any of my family or friends in America had ever heard of. The name “Inner Mongolia” confused them, and I had some people say to me: “I thought you were living in China, not Mongolia.” Even one Chinese person I met from Shanghai told me, in fluent English, that we were living “in the boonies.”
I discovered a vibrant, rich culture, full of history, where God had placed his people to quietly and faithfully build his kingdom. It is these people that we want to pray for and highlight in 2026. We want to travel into the corners of China most Americans never reach.
Yet, in my time spent in this lesser-known city, I saw God work in amazing ways. Away from the rush and stream of major metropolises, I encountered many hospitable, friendly, curious people. I met local ethnic minorities, often overlooked within the Chinese ministry landscape. And I met house church Christians who were passionate and faithful, desiring to love and reach their city for Christ.
The city where I lived is not one you will often read about on the news. It’s not a major travel destination, or a place that garners international attention. And yet, what I discovered was a vibrant, rich culture, full of history, where God had placed his people to quietly and faithfully build his kingdom. It is these people that we want to pray for and highlight in 2026. We want to travel into the corners of China most Americans never reach, and see what God is doing there.
Let’s Pray and Learn Together
For 2026, we have selected eleven cities across China where we see God working. We have intentionally chosen cities that represent multiple regions within China, from the cold northeast to the more tropical southwest. For the first time ever, we have also chosen several cities from outside of China. In recent years, there has been a massive wave of migration as people leave China. As Christians have been settling in these new cities, we have been coming alongside them with support, and this summer we will have a special month of prayer for them.
Will you join us in going off the beaten path this year? Will you join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in China?
Whether inside of China or out, though, all the cities we will be praying for are cities connected to the greater gospel movement we support in some way. These are cities where churches are being renewed, and new churches are being planted. Some have long gospel histories; others are fresh.
Never miss a story
Will you join us in going off the beaten path this year? Will you join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in China?
If you want to pray with us, you can join our prayer team by signing up to receive prayer requests by email every week. Most of these prayer requests come directly from Chinese Christians (edited to protect their safety).
I am grateful for everyone who has been praying with us over these last two years. I look forward to continuing to pray for cities in China in 2026. As we prayed last year, and the year before: I pray that God may use his church as his incarnate witness within China’s cities, exemplifying his love and holiness, pointing people all across China to Christ.
We hope you’ll join us in praying for cities all across China in 2026.
M. Mills serves as China Partnership’s Communications Director. He spent three years teaching English in China and lives with his wife in Chicago.
Join us this year in praying for God’s work and people in important but lesser-known Chinese cities.
