Christ's Church, Siming District

Xinjie Christian Church (Chinese: 新街堂), is a Protestant church located in Siming District of Xiamen, Fujian, China.[1]

Xinjie Christian Church
基督教新街堂
Xinjie Christian Church in 2013
Xinjie Christian Church is located in Fujian
Xinjie Christian Church
Xinjie Christian Church
Location in Fujian
24°27′35″N 118°05′20″E / 24.459677°N 118.088775°E / 24.459677; 118.088775
LocationSiming District, Xiamen, Fujian, China
DenominationProtestantism
History
StatusParish church
Founded1847 (1847)
Founder(s)W. J. Pohlrnan
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch building
StyleRomanesque architecture
Groundbreaking1933
Completed1935 (reconstruction)
Demolished1928
Specifications
MaterialsGranite, bricks
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese基督教新街堂
Traditional Chinese基督教新街堂
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinJīdūjiào Xīnjīetáng
Xinjie Christian Church
Chinese新街堂
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXīnjiētáng

History

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On 4 February 1842, the Reformed Church in America sent David Abeel to Xiamen, Fujian to preach.[2] In December 1947, Uncle Fugui (福贵伯), a local believer, bought a piece of land in Taigou Tomb (now Taiguang Street) in downtown Xiamen for building church. In 1848, pastor W. J. Pohlrnan returned to the United States to raise $3,000 and built China's first Protestant church here.[2] The dedication ceremony was held on 11 February 1849.

The church became dilapidated for neglect, and was demolished in 1928. A reconstruction of the entire church complex was carried out in 1933 and was completed in 1935, with Romanesque architecture style.

The church was closed in 1966 due to the Cultural Revolution, and was officially reopened to the public in 1979. It was designated as a municipal cultural relic preservation organ in 1982 and a provincial cultural relic preservation organ in 2005, respectively.

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References

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  1. ^ “中华第一圣堂”170周岁了——福建省厦门市基督教新街堂举行周年庆. fjjidujiao.com (in Chinese). 20 November 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b 大陆第一间教会「厦门新街堂」 长老会为推手. cdn-news.org (in Chinese). 9 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

Further reading

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  • Weihong, Luo (1 May 2014). 中国基督教(新教)史 [History of Protestantism in China] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House. ISBN 9787208121324.