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China's Old Churches
The History, Architecture, and Legacy of Catholic Sacred Structures in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province
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China’s Old Churches, by Alan Sweeten, surveys the history of Catholicism in China (1600 to the present) as reflected by the location, style, and details of sacred structures in three crucial areas of north China. Closely examined are the most famous and important churches in the urban settings of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as lesser-known ones in rural Hebei Province.
Missionaries built Western-looking churches to make a broad religious statement important to themselves and Chinese worshippers. Non-Catholics, however, tended to see churches as sociopolitically foreign and culturally invasive. The physical-visual impact of church buildings is significant. Today, restored old churches and new sacred structures are still mostly of Western style, but often include a sacred grotto dedicated to Our Lady of China--a growing number of Catholics supporting Marian-centered activities.
Missionaries built Western-looking churches to make a broad religious statement important to themselves and Chinese worshippers. Non-Catholics, however, tended to see churches as sociopolitically foreign and culturally invasive. The physical-visual impact of church buildings is significant. Today, restored old churches and new sacred structures are still mostly of Western style, but often include a sacred grotto dedicated to Our Lady of China--a growing number of Catholics supporting Marian-centered activities.
Alan Richard Sweeten, Ph.D. (1980), University of California, Davis, is Adjunct Professor of History at California State University, Stanislaus. The author of many publications on Christianity in China, he is retired from teaching but remains an active researcher.
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Special Terms and Acronyms
List of Abbreviations
1 An Introduction to Old Churches
2 Church Building and Church Buildings
3 The Historic Churches of Central Beijing
4 Greater Beijing’s Old Church Sites and Churches
5 Tianjin’s Old Sacred Structures
6 Old Churches in Hebei’s Small Cities, Towns, and Villages
7 The Churches of Rural Zhuozhou, Past and Present
8 The Catholic Legacy
Appendix 1: Chinese Catholics, Estimates by Year and Place
Appendix 2: Additional Ecclesiastical Divisions for Zhili/Hebei
Appendix 3: Currency Exchange Rate Estimates
Appendix 4: The South Church’s Stelae
Appendix 5: The North Church’s Stelae
Appendix 6: The West Church’s Stone Tablets
Appendix 7: The Government Memorial at Tianjin’s Wanghailou Church
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
List of Illustrations
Special Terms and Acronyms
List of Abbreviations
1 An Introduction to Old Churches
2 Church Building and Church Buildings
3 The Historic Churches of Central Beijing
4 Greater Beijing’s Old Church Sites and Churches
5 Tianjin’s Old Sacred Structures
6 Old Churches in Hebei’s Small Cities, Towns, and Villages
7 The Churches of Rural Zhuozhou, Past and Present
8 The Catholic Legacy
Appendix 1: Chinese Catholics, Estimates by Year and Place
Appendix 2: Additional Ecclesiastical Divisions for Zhili/Hebei
Appendix 3: Currency Exchange Rate Estimates
Appendix 4: The South Church’s Stelae
Appendix 5: The North Church’s Stelae
Appendix 6: The West Church’s Stone Tablets
Appendix 7: The Government Memorial at Tianjin’s Wanghailou Church
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Readers with interest in the history of the missionary movement in China from Ming to modern times as well as those who appreciate old churches’ architectural, visual, and cultural representations.