A nearly 100-year-old brick and timber Gothic church in Fujian province on China’s southeast coast urgently needs repairs due to water leaks and damaged roofs, for which four million yuan still need to be raised.
Cangxia Church in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, which was part of the Anglican Church, was built between 1924 and 1927.
It is a typical British Victorian Gothic brick and timber structure building, covering an area of 1,563 square meters (0.386 acres). The main building covers 823 square meters (0.203 acres), with each floor and timber frame, and an exterior facade of red brick.
In the early morning, a dozen believers who were cleaning the nave announced that the church could accommodate a thousand people at the same time. “Each week we sweep the church, with a light cleaning on Thursday and a deep cleaning every Saturday morning, followed by a full disinfection in preparation for Sunday worship. Although recently it has been very hot in Fuzhou, we never stopped cleaning inside and outside the church…”
Reverend Lin Xiuyun, director of the church council, explained the bluestone baptismal pool placed right in front of the shrine platform. It has existed since the construction of the church. She claimed there were previously only three such baptismal pools in Anglican churches worldwide (one in the UK has disappeared), and now the only bluestone baptismal pool in existence is in this church.
After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident (July 7-9, 1937), the Japanese military launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, during which members of the Cangxia Church Choir participated in the anti-Japanese military band which left the church to perform in various places, promoting the idea of fighting the Japanese invasion and saving the nation.
In 1984, Xiang Nan, secretary of the provincial Party committee at the time, said at a meeting, “The Cangxia Church covered up the Party’s underground activities and contributed to the liberation cause… “
The implementation of religious policy after the third plenary session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the church regained its property rights. After renovations, Cangxia Church resumed its religious activities on August 11, 1985.
As a cathedral built in the typical European style, it was listed in the second batch of district-level cultural relics protection units of Taijiang district in May 1996. In January 2020, it was included in the eighth lot for the protection of cultural relics at the municipal level. units in Fuzhou.
Reverend Lin Xiuyun added, “For a long time, the church building has had problems such as water leaks, damaged roofs, seriously corroded wooden components and red bricks, which pose a risk to Security.
This year, the church commissioned a professional antique building design firm to start the renovation project. The total capital of the first phase of the project is estimated at more than six million yuan. At present, the church alone has raised two million yuan, which still has a big gap. Hopefully all the funds can be ready for the construction to start in October this year, which calls for sincere prayers for it and for its completion as soon as possible.
– Translated by Shuya Wang
福州近百年老教堂漏雨亟需修缮 望代祷！
Intercession needed to repair Fujian Centurial Church
