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Exploring rich heritage of city's churches
By Wu Huixin |
December 13, 2012, Thursday
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AS Christmas approaches, Hangzhou's Christians are preparing to celebrate the festival in their churches. As one of the first cities in China to admit Christians - both Catholics and Protestants - Hangzhou has a rich Christian heritage and a number of churches.
Protestantism was introduced to Hangzhou during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864). According to 2004 statistics, the city is home to 179,000 Protestant worshippers and 25 clergy. Groups include the Hangzhou Protestantism Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and Hangzhou Protestantism Association.
The number of Catholics in Hangzhou is much fewer than that in the past - down to about 2,000. Catholicism came to Hangzhou during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when in 1611 three Italian missionaries held mass.
Hangzhou Catholic Church, which hosted the mass, was the first Catholic church in the city. It features Roman-style dome architecture and stained glass. In the late Ming Dynasty, Hangzhou was considered center for Catholic missionaries.
Here are three famous churches in Hangzhou where congregations will celebrate Christmas.
Chong Yi Church
Chong Yi Church covers an area of 12,480 square meters and can accommodate 5,500 people. The 42-million-yuan (US$ 6.7 million) construction cost was donated by Protestants around the globe.
Made of stone and featuring gray brickwork, the church has a simple and elegant style. The shape of the roof resembles the Chinese character ren or man (è?), which forms two sides of a fan-shaped surface.
The original site of Chong Yi Church was in Qingtai Street. Dating back to 1866, Hudson Taylor, a British Protestant missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International), came to Hangzhou and rented a large house as the city headquarters of Protestantism.
In 1902, believers purchased a piece of land along Qingtai Street and built the old Chong Yi Church under the guidance of clergyman Wang Nanzheng.
Today, Chong Yi Church is considered by many as the symbol of the Protestantism of Zhejiang Province.
Address: 26 Xintang Rd
Si Cheng Church
This is the oldest Protestant church in Hangzhou. In the 1850s during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), American Presbyterian missionaries preached around Hangzhou, converting locals.
In 1868, local Protestants rented a house in Pishi Lane as a church and made a man named Zhang Chengzhai their first minister. However, as the congregation grew, the house was too small.
Zhang's son, Zhang Baoqing, donated money to build a new church and, helped by other donations from home and abroad, Si Cheng Church was eventually completed after the death of Zhang Chengzhai.
In order to commemorate the clergyman, the church was named after one character of Zhang's name. Si Cheng in Chinese means "cherish the memory of Cheng."
When the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945) broke out, the church became a refuge for locals.
Between 1942 and 1945, it was occupied by the Japanese.
Address: 132 Jiefang Rd
Tian Shui Church
Tian Shui Church was built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) by Huston and Hallemay, two American Southern Presbyterian missionaries.
Later, John Linton Stuart took charge of the growing church. In the yard there are towering trees planted by Stuart, which are listed as protected trees by Hangzhou government.
Stuart also presided over establishing a pharmacy and clinic, a Christian girls school, a nursery and other charitable organizations to help the social development of Hangzhou.
He died in 1913; thereafter Chinese clergy took over the missionary work. Today, around 600 worshippers attend the church every week.
Stuart's eldest son, John Leighton Stuart - the first president of Yenching University and US ambassador to China - was born in Hangzhou and spent his childhood there.
Address: 2 Jesus Lane
Protestantism was introduced to Hangzhou during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864). According to 2004 statistics, the city is home to 179,000 Protestant worshippers and 25 clergy. Groups include the Hangzhou Protestantism Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and Hangzhou Protestantism Association.
The number of Catholics in Hangzhou is much fewer than that in the past - down to about 2,000. Catholicism came to Hangzhou during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when in 1611 three Italian missionaries held mass.
Hangzhou Catholic Church, which hosted the mass, was the first Catholic church in the city. It features Roman-style dome architecture and stained glass. In the late Ming Dynasty, Hangzhou was considered center for Catholic missionaries.
Here are three famous churches in Hangzhou where congregations will celebrate Christmas.
Chong Yi Church
Chong Yi Church covers an area of 12,480 square meters and can accommodate 5,500 people. The 42-million-yuan (US$ 6.7 million) construction cost was donated by Protestants around the globe.
Made of stone and featuring gray brickwork, the church has a simple and elegant style. The shape of the roof resembles the Chinese character ren or man (è?), which forms two sides of a fan-shaped surface.
The original site of Chong Yi Church was in Qingtai Street. Dating back to 1866, Hudson Taylor, a British Protestant missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International), came to Hangzhou and rented a large house as the city headquarters of Protestantism.
In 1902, believers purchased a piece of land along Qingtai Street and built the old Chong Yi Church under the guidance of clergyman Wang Nanzheng.
Today, Chong Yi Church is considered by many as the symbol of the Protestantism of Zhejiang Province.
Address: 26 Xintang Rd
Si Cheng Church
This is the oldest Protestant church in Hangzhou. In the 1850s during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), American Presbyterian missionaries preached around Hangzhou, converting locals.
In 1868, local Protestants rented a house in Pishi Lane as a church and made a man named Zhang Chengzhai their first minister. However, as the congregation grew, the house was too small.
Zhang's son, Zhang Baoqing, donated money to build a new church and, helped by other donations from home and abroad, Si Cheng Church was eventually completed after the death of Zhang Chengzhai.
In order to commemorate the clergyman, the church was named after one character of Zhang's name. Si Cheng in Chinese means "cherish the memory of Cheng."
When the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945) broke out, the church became a refuge for locals.
Between 1942 and 1945, it was occupied by the Japanese.
Address: 132 Jiefang Rd
Tian Shui Church
Tian Shui Church was built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) by Huston and Hallemay, two American Southern Presbyterian missionaries.
Later, John Linton Stuart took charge of the growing church. In the yard there are towering trees planted by Stuart, which are listed as protected trees by Hangzhou government.
Stuart also presided over establishing a pharmacy and clinic, a Christian girls school, a nursery and other charitable organizations to help the social development of Hangzhou.
He died in 1913; thereafter Chinese clergy took over the missionary work. Today, around 600 worshippers attend the church every week.
Stuart's eldest son, John Leighton Stuart - the first president of Yenching University and US ambassador to China - was born in Hangzhou and spent his childhood there.
Address: 2 Jesus Lane
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