China's Ten Most Beautiful Churches
I am into architecture. I love buildings and my impression of places oftentimes stems from the buildings. If buildings can speak to a people and to a history (and I am convinced that they do), religious buildings oftentimes speak the loudest. They can tell us who was up, who was down, and when.
I was delighted when a client sent me this "Top ten most beautiful churches in China" and I wanted to pass it on. I have seen only two of the churches on this list, but now that I know about the others, I am going to try to knock down a few more.....
Anything missing from this list?
Comments (9)
Read through and enter the discussion by using the form at the endBill Rich - August 9, 2009 9:12 AM
I have notice that almost all of these buildings reflects a western architecture. The only exception is the one in Tibet, which has elements of Tibetan architecture, but no Han element.
Fons Tuinstra - August 9, 2009 11:27 AM
When you have the chance you should visit the party school in Shanghai: that is better than a church. Meant to make people feel humble, great building though.
Dan - August 9, 2009 12:39 PM
Bill,
The church in Harbin was definitely influenced by Eastern Orthodox architecture.
Dan - August 9, 2009 12:41 PM
Fons,
Not been there, but will be sure to go the next time I am in Shanghai.
I went to college in Grinnell, Iowa, which has a very famous bank, designed by the father of the skyscraper, Louis Sullivan. It looks and feels church-like, particularly on the indside, which pissed off some people who felt Sullivan was saying that money is the new religion in the US. Check it out here: http://www.grinnelliowa.gov/SullivanBank/HistoryRoad.html
Qingdao - August 9, 2009 6:35 PM
There used to be a small, wooden PURPLE Protestant church just south of T1en An Mien in Beijing; dont know if its still there
jen ambrose - August 9, 2009 7:46 PM
The church in Harbin shown in the slideshow isn't/wasn't Catholic. It was Russian Orthodox. It is not in use as a church. Orthodox Chritianity isn't given official recognition in the PRC, so they face even greater difficulties than the Catholics and the (Official) Protestants in having their churches returned to them. For more on the history of Orthodoxy in China go to .
The list also seems somewhat political, but then again, what isn't in China. It seems that with the exception of T1bet, each city has only one listed. Beijing City has several churches that could also have made the list (Beitang, for instance). Shanghai could also contribute several. There aren't any from Hebei province.
Just glancing through Fr. Charbonnier's Guide to the Catholic Church in China (published in Singapore, it is also available in the Catholic Bookstores in Hong Kong), there are many, many churches that probably could "compete" for a spot on the list. I haven't been to these, but from the pictures I'm guessing that Sacred Heart in Jinan, Sacred Heart in Gulangyu, the Memorial of St. Fraces Xavier on Shangchuan Island are also beautiful. And for more Chinese-inspired architechture, it looks like Southwest China is the place to be: Guiyang Cathedral, Sacred Heart in Kunming, Xiaguan Catholic Church in Dali (built in ethnic Bai style), Cizhong in Yunnan province, to name a few. That church in Dali, from the pictures, at least, looks pretty spectacular.
Dan - August 9, 2009 8:50 PM
jen ambrose,
You make some great points. The Catholic Church shown for Qingdao is, IMHO, not even as nice as the Lutheran church there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1980nic/3461422259/
jen ambrose - August 9, 2009 9:11 PM
Sorry. Seems my link isn't there. For more information on Orthodox Christianity in China go to
chriswaugh_bj - August 9, 2009 11:27 PM
Qingdao, you may be referring to the Zhushikou Church. I don't know if it was ever wooden, nor necessarily purple, but I do remember it being a rather eye-catching shade not too long ago. Last time I saw it it was being renovated. However, it certainly does not belong on a list of beautiful churches. Come to think of it, the only beautiful protestant church I've seen in China is the Qingdao Lutheran church Dan linked to above.