Traditional Chinese Style Churches

Christian nestorianism in China:

Christianity is thought to have been introduced into China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), but it has also been suggested that the Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon created a metropolitan see in China in 411. It came through representatives of the Assyrian Church of the East. In China, the religion was known as Jingjiao (景教), or the Luminous Religion. They initially entered China more as traders than as professional missionaries. The Nestorians were largely of Hebrew extraction, tracing their lineage to those who did not return to Palestine following the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. During the early centuries of Christian expansion, they considered the message of Jesus a fulfillment of their Jewish faith. Eventually, the Nestorians intermarried with other Syriac-speaking peoples east of the Euphrates and spread their faith throughout Turkestan, Mongolia, China and Japan. Some records indicate that Jacobite Christians also visited China during this period, but their impact was minimal. A stone stele (the Nestorian Stele) erected at the Tang capital of Chang'an in 781 and rediscovered in the 17th century describes flourishing communities of Christians throughout China, but beyond this and few other fragmentary records relatively little is known of their history.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorianism_in_China

Sorry Andrew, I know this is slightly off-topic as its not in China, but I have found Chinese-style churches quite an interesting departure from conventional notions. Although I'm Chinese, I myself am more used to the colonial style church, which is derived from European design. Hence it is a pleasure to find a design that differs from the 'mainstream' perception.

These churches are in Singapore, which as we all know, comprised largely of immigrants from China that make up its majority.

Telok Ayer Methodist Church



Telok Ayer Church ranks as the oldest among Methodist Chinese speaking churches. Deep in the heart of the old Chinese settlement, the church was the base from which the Methodist pioneer missionary, Dr. Benjamin West, reached out to the migrated Chinese. It was in 1889 when Dr. West rented a shophouse in Upper Nanking Street (now no more in existence) to practise medicine and to work as a missionary. He started 2 services on Sunday in August that year at the shophouse, preaching to a congregation of 30 people, speaking in Malay which was translated into Hokkien.

In 1905, the shophouse structure was falling apart, but the Church found a new worship place at No. 12 Japan Street (now Boon Tat Street). In 1913, the Church bought a piece of land at the junction of Telok Ayer Street and Cecil Street. A tent was erected on the site. The Church continued to grow but the tent was soon in a dilapidated state. The Church had to move temporarily to Fairfield Methodist Girls' School at Neil Road. Meanwhile, a zinc hut measuring 6m by 10 m in floor area was constructed on the same site and in September that year, the Church resumed its worship at Telok Ayer. In 1921, more land was acquired at an adjoining site. The zinc hut was demolished and a three-storey building was built on the larger land by a French firm, Bross and Mogin. The architect was Swan & Maclaren. The building was completed and the sanctuary was dedicated on 11 January 1925. In 1935, Dr. John Sung, a well-known Chinese evangelist from China, conducted revival meetings in the Church. World War II broke out in 1941 and Singapore fell into Japanese hands on 15 February 1941. The Church was used as a refuge for about 300 people. Countless members continued to be encouraged at the weekly Sunday services which did not stop throughout those difficult and trying years.


Amazingly, after so many years, the church building has kept to the original design with little alteration to the exterior look. The basic design is western: a rectangular main body sitting on arch colonnades. But the architecture added an open pavilion on the roof at the front of the building. The roof of the pavilion is carved in the traditional Chinese manner. By this addition, the basically Roman styled building is given a Chineseness that will speak to the migrant Chinese and be identified with them. The Church sanctuary is located at the second storey level. For country churches, it is natural to have the sanctuary on the first storey, but for city churches, it is more practical to have a second storey sanctuary. At the time of building, it was common for European city churches to locate the sanctuary on the second storey. In Singapore, Telok Ayer Church could be the first church building to adopt this design.


Holy Trinity Church

Yunnan Cizhong Church (hundred-year old french church)

From what I know off hand, Nestorian Christianity came to China around 700. They setup churches in Xian (capital at the time) mostly for traders who were in the city (the city was a terminus for the Silk Road, more or less). A bit later, the Emperor invited representatives of different religions to the palace to have a debate to decide the best religion (I don't know if Christians took part or not). The Emperor was biased towards traditional Chinese beliefs and declared Taoism etc. the winner and subsequently banned all other religions. This was done because Buddhism was growing significantly at the time. Anyway, Christianity was also banned. This lasted a few years until the Emperor died, after which things returned to normal. But by this time, many of the people of the Middle East and Central Asia were converting in huge numbers to Islam. Christianity was now limited Europe. Because of this, few Christians came to China for 100s of years, because of distance, having to cross Muslim lands, etc.