Churches (and other religious buildings) in China - Picture story

by fulltimestudent 19 Replies latest social current

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  fulltimestudent

  I'm busy organising my trip to China, ticket purchased. The cheapest ticket was on Australian airline Qantas, whose fallen on hard times. My ex-qantas friends warned me not to fly qantas - they predict disaster. Oh! well- so does the Bible.

  Anyway going south again - got to get to Quanzhou (was once called Zayton) and see that last Manichean temple (grin) - Lots of other interesting religious stuff as this part of China (1000 years ago) was a huge business centre (and it is again, I guess) and people came here from all over the world, and brought their religion with them.

  So I thought I'd start this thread to show the diversity of religion in China.

  To kick it off, I'll start in the North. In the city of Harbin, on the border with Russia.

  This is the Harbin Nangang Christian Church

  Located in the "church street" along Dongdazhi Street, Harbin Nangang Christian Church is a Protestant church.

  The current building was built in 1916. It is one of the important places where the Protestant activities are held.

  Chinese name: Harbin Jidujiao Nangang Jiaotang. Location: 252, Dongdazhi Street, Nangang district, Harbin

  Its likely to have had its start in the Imperial age, when western nations forced the entry of Christianity to China.
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  fulltimestudent

  

  And this one is the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Harbin, a Roman Catholic Church in Harbin. Its official name is Sacred Heart of Jesus Diocesan Cathedral of Harbin. Chinese name: Harbin Shengxin Tianzhu Jiaotang. Located at 211 Dongdazhi Street, Nangang district, Harbin
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  fulltimestudent

  When faced with this building, you could imagine your in European Russia,

  Its the former St. Sophia Church in Harbin

  As the largest Eastern Orthodox church in China, St. Sophia is located on Zhaolin Street, over an area of 721 square meters. Built by the Russians, its history dates back to the early 1900s, after the completion of Dongqing Railway in the city. It is a typical Byzantine-style church, the architecture similar to that in Moscow. Its beauty and splendor is such that it could be described as the work of God's hands. In the past, there were seven bells of different sizes with different tones in the bell tower over the entrance. When religious festivals are held, a ringer would play musical progressions, tolling the bells, with its beautiful sounds resonating all through the city.

  In 1997, the Harbin municipal government named it as the Architecture Art Gallery and Museum of Harbin, making the church a museum that is open to the public. The large religious paintings hanging on the walls and pillars in the main hall, as well as the huge, golden chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling are the major attractions. Hundreds of old, black-and-white photos on the lower walls of the building illustrate the history and development of Harbin City.

  The gallery is open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm. Tickets are 20 yuan ($3). Visitors may call 0451-8468-4170 for details.

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  Here's another view of this church. It provides a better view of the detail surrounding the windows of the church.

  

  That dome by the way, is 53.35 meters high.
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  fulltimestudent

  All the above images are from various issues of the Chinese newspaper, Global Times, internet edition.
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  fulltimestudent

  I'm just going to digress (got to go out soon) to Tibet. (but I'll return to North China)

  This is the Yanjing Catholic Church, the only Catholic Church in Tibet. With an area of 6 square kilometers, it is located in Yanjing village in Mangkang county of Tibet. Eighty percent of Yanjing residents are Catholics, and a native Tibetan priest is in charge of religious activities is able to read from a Bible that has been translated into Tibetan.
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  fulltimestudent

  This building is known as the Cizhong Church.

  its one of the few church buildings in Tibet that survived the Cultural Revolution. The church, built at the beginning of the 20th century, is a unique fusion of French and Chinese architectural styles. The overhanging eaves and roof of the church are Chinese style with a cross on top.

  The Cizhong municipal government repaired the church in 1989 and then opened it to the public as a tourist attraction.
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  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Nice.

  I am glad China did not destroy the old churches.

  LL
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  fulltimestudent

  This one is more modern, it was built in 1998-2000

  

  Hallelujah Church - the largest place to hold Christian activities in Northeast China. This three-storey building can accommodate over 3,000 people. It is built in modern Gothic style. Chinese name: Haliluya Jiaotang (Nice bit of transliteration) - Located at 47, Youfang Street, Xiangfang district, Harbin
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  fulltimestudent

  Another Orthodox church in Harbin, maybe a Ukrainian Orthodox church, is the The Church of the Protection of the Mother of God.

  

  Located in the "church street", it faces Sacred Heart Cathedral of Harbin. Chinese name: Harbin Shengmu Pingmeng Jiaotang. Its address is: 268, Dongdazhi Street, Nangang district, Harbin
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  fulltimestudent

  LoisLane:

  Nice.

  I am glad China did not destroy the old churches.

  Well, many religious buildings were destroyed or damaged by the Red Guards, during the Cultural Revolution.

  I think we have to view this from the perspective of what was happening. The CPC gets the blame in western, Cold War propaganda, but that's rather unfair. The Red Guards that caused the trouble were let loose by Mao in his effort to hang on to power and establish a fully socialist economy in China. They could be described as something like the people in the 'occupy wall street movement,' if you can imagine those people taking over and attempting to run a country.

  After a few years of the Red Guards on the loose, even Mao had had enough.