Yinchuan Landmarks, Monuments, Hotspots - Churches of Yinchuan, Ningxia

The Main landmarks within suburban districts of Yinchuan are: the Bell- & Drum-Tower and nearby Yuhuang Pavilion, South Gate Square, the City Mosque or Nanguan Mosque, the North Pagoda and Temple (Haibao Ta) which are situated 2 kilometers outside of the Old Town proper, the Chengtian Si and its West Pagoda and finally, The Ningxia Provincial museum with exhibitions on both the long history of the region and the details and riches of the Hui Ethnic Culture.

In total there are over 60 historical sites to be visited and enjoyed in Yinchuan and its vicinity.

Many may be surprised to find that Yinchuan, the Capital of the Islamic Hui Autonomous Region has a Christian Church. In fact, there is both a Cathedral and a Church and there is an official Roman Catholic diocese with quite a history behind it. The current Diocese of Ningxia has 12 priests serving an estimated 10.000 Catholics in 14 parishes and prayer houses.

The First place of worship in Yinchuan is the Yinchuan Cathedral, a large twin towered structure which stands inside its own courtyard somewhat hidden along the South Side of Jiefang West Street, a few blocks away from the famed old Bell- and Drum-tower. What can be said in general about all Christian Churches in Yinchuan is that they are housed in modern structures and their activities are mainly focused on members of the Chaoxian (Korean) Ethnic Minority, which group has found their way to Yinchuan through a twist of fate and history. Some of the Koreans in and near Yinchuan have been influenced by the Christian faith through contacts in Korea. Others attending are local converts of various backgrounds.

Historically it should be noted that Yinchuan has long been at the center of strive between various cultures and religions. However, since the successful overthrow of the Buddhist Tangut Empire (Xixia) by the Mongol Empire and the subsequent foundation of a Mongol Dynasty within China the region of the Ningxia Plain has been settled by Islamic Immigrants who have gradually come to dominate the regions. As Marco Polo

The second Church in Yinchuan today is the Yinchuan Catholic Church located at Hubin East Street. Not much information is available on the internet on this particular Church. What can be reported is that is smaller than the Yinchuan Cathedral and has only a small and central tower, looks like it is a modern construction built during the late 1980's 0r 1990's and that it stands somewhat hidden inside a hamlet on the Northern side of Hubin East Street. Inside an Iron Gate leading away from Hubin East Street, there is a small front court, followed by a wide entrance hall with behind it a spacious main hall for worship. Inside the Hall are seats for at least a 100 vistors as well as a speaking council and an altar above which a simple red colored wooden cross. The Church is well visited and active today. Foreign visitors are welcomed.

Monsignor Li was elected by the diocesan clergy in 2006, but the Holy See had already approved his name three years earlier in 2004.

According to western (Christian) sources civil authorities allowed only three other Bishops to be present at the ordination and acceptance, however more than a thousand Catholics attended the consecration ceremony and more than sixty priests concelebrated. The liturgy was followed by a festive meal and cultural program. On the occasion, a plan was announced to repair the 20-year old Cathedral and the bishop’s residence.

Among the tasks of the new Bishop will be the attempted unification of Priests and flock who are said to be divided in loyalties to either the underground Church(es), the Church of Rome and the official State Endorsed Christian Church.

Address: Jiefang West Street, Yinchuan. Across from Yinchuan Yuehao Hotel and the Hantang Time Hotel.

Bus Lines passing this point are Line 1, 11, 34, 49 and 106.

Mass Time: Monday to Saturday 7:00 AM. Sunday at 8:00 AM.

Afternoon Mass at 16:00 PM.

However, as Mao and the Party Clan could have also known, the stronger the repression the more some hang on to and draw upon their beliefs. According to sources the Bishop Liu Jinsghan received lengthy re-education sentences and hard labor during this period for continued adherence to his Christian beliefs. Regardless, he supposedly remained faithful to the home Church and his Pope in Rome. During the Cultural Revolution period of 1966 to 1976 religious affairs across China took a further turn for the worst, seeing the seizure of religious activities at nearly all temples, mosques and shrines in all of China. Ningxia and the City of Yinchuan as the cultural center of a notoriously rebellious ethnic group is known to have suffered extensively during this dark period. Among things, the majority of the Mosques in the City of Yinchuan and vicinity were destroyed. Nanguan Mosque was torn down in 1960 AD already. In the same period the historical treasure of the 130 Buddhist Temples of Baisikou (pass) were burned to the ground, leaving only the two remaining Twin Pagoda's of Baisikou that can be found today. If there was a Church in Yinchuan before 1966, it was not there much longer after. Although some other Temples may have been ruined or vandalized, surprisingly the Bell- and Drum Tower as well as the Yuhuang Pavilion survived the turbulent era.

The story of Christianity in Ningxia however does not stop there. The most intriguing tale attached to the diocese is one that occurred during the years of the Peoples Republic of China after 1949 AD, and involved the former Bishop of the Region, one Liu JingShan. Today a fast disappearing rarity in China, Liu Jingshan is known to have been converted to Christianity in 1942 AD during the Japanese Occupation and is a survivor of the lengthy rule of the communist party within the Nation. Already before 1949 AD the Communists had expressed plenty of sympathy for the earlier passions expressed by the common people in the Boxer Rebellion and commonly held by the Imperial Rulers and their officers. These were among things that Christianity was foreign faith that was used as a means of subverting native Chinese Culture. Christianity was seen as a weapon for weakening Chinese National resolve and missionaries were seen as foreign agents likely active in espionage and sabotage. One of the important reasons for the

Bentos De Gois found out, just within the Great Wall of China, Christians, when discovered were not welcomed. Later during the Qing Dynasty, the regions several times were at the center of Islamic uprisings, sometimes involving the Hui Ethnic Group. Although there was a Bishop at Karakoram at the Time of Marco Polo's travels in the Yuan Dynasty Era, and Beijing had its first Bishop with Matteo Ricci in the early 16Th Century, Christians never made it as far as Ningxia until it was possible for foreigners, especially Christian missionaries, to roam freely within China. This situation only arose after the foreign victory in the second opium War (1856 AD – 1860 AD) and by 1900 a slow trickle of Christian activist had managed to find their way into Ningxia.

As described in the Book 'Han-Mongol encounters and Missionary Endeavors - history of Scheut in the Ordos' Ethnic Han's of the Muslim Faith especially became targets for conversion for both Protestant and Catholic Missionaries in Gansu and Ningxia. According to the book Protestant missionary work in started in Ningxia in the year 1885 AD, however regardless the efforts of the priests, there was little interest from the Han Muslims. Only one town formed an exception, the small town of Xiayingzi near Pingluo in South Ningxia became known as a Catholic enclave.

Making use of China's split under several warlords Christian Missionaries of various

crew in that year. Not much after Mao Zedong arrived with his 'Long Marchers' to quite literally take over the Base. The Cathedral was then used to organize Communist Party meetings.

From 1935 AD onwards the Shaanxi-Hopei and later Shaanxi-Hopei-Ningxia region would become the main base are from which the Communist Party of China was to achieve unification and rule over all of China. Little or nothing is written down on the experience of Christians in the Ningxia Region during this time, but various incidents that took place in the neighboring region of Shaanxi at the time may give an idea of the Communist Party policy towards Christians. Among things, upon the arrival of the communist force and party headquarters in Yan'An, Shaanxi in 1937 AD, the Communist Party 'nationalised' i.e. disowned the new Cathedral which had just been completed by Fransiscan Monks who had done work in the town. And that was just the beginning of the building of a State for Mao Zedong and his high-ranking party supporters.

Clearly, less than 10 years later the situation within communist area's would have become impossible and intolerable for any practising Christian's as Mao Zedong opened witch hunt within all party ranks,

Address:

Yinchuan City Xingqing District Church No. 153 Hubin Dongjie or Hubin East Street

Xingqing District

Yinchuan City 750004

Ningxia

Tel: 86-951-6718734(Office) 6717941(Entrance)

There is even a third Church located in the Old City, known as the Yinchuan City Xixia District Church. We have no information nor photos of this Church.

Address:

No.1 Yulin Lane, Huanghe Road, Ningxia.

in order to create an Orwelian State in which he was the supreme leader. In that time 1942 AD - 1945 AD party members were given no privacy, people lived in fear, were forced to write accusations on eachothers slightest opions or suggestions and then some. Torture was almost open and a well known punishment for anyone only accused of undermining the State, which was Mao Zedong. Mao had been the Man behind the throne for several years, however Luo Fu was still the nominal Party Leader. When Mao set out to gain total control of the party, nothing and no one could stand in his way. The only belief that would be allowed for was a paranoid and enforced form of communism based solely on the opinions of Mao Zedong. Mao was about to become Party Secretary, Chairman of the Secretariat of the Communist Party and a God to his prisoner-followers. Likely, no Christians in North-West survived the political upheaval and executions of the 1940's. To begin with anyone was already suspected of being a anti-communist, so converts to what was percieved as a clearly foreign religion should consider themselves condemned men and women. It was not so much about finding real spies and enemy agents, the communist themselves didn't expect to find many, but about controlling the people by instilling them with fear of prosecution. Anyone

eventual communist victory was its (perceived) dedication to the task of ridding China of foreign influences. It was a wave of nationalism that swept the communist to power. Thus, when the Communist Party finally declared the establishment of it's new Peoples Republic, one of the first activities was to root out those who still held foreign sympathies. None of the religions were outright popular with the communist movement, however at first most were left in peace. However, directly associated with foreigners through their faith Christians found themselves in a political confrontation with the state. In the early years after 1949 AD treatment across the nation mainly followed Mao's proven theory that convincing always works better than coercion, meaning that unrepentant members of the Christian Church were sent to re-education camps where through meticulous, sometimes humiliating and never ceasing discussions they were supposed to win over for the communist system and loyalty to the Chinese State system. It was better this way for everyone after all, anyone should agree.

kinds continued their activities within China. Very few, but some were active in Ningxia. From sources it is know that Christians were working to relief suffering during the great famine in Inner-Mongolia during the 1930's but very little is recorded and know today about Christianity within Yinchuan at that Time. Fact is that Ningxia remained a region dominated by the Hui Muslims until at least the advent of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 AD, at which time it was well-known for its landscape with 'a 1000 Mosques'. The Islamic Hui regions spread between the eastern half of Southern Gansu Province and the Great Wall of China in the North of Ningxia. Thus, Christian converts must have been few and far between. Most were in south Ningxia near Liupan Shan and there was a small Church constructed in Zhongwei on the Yellow River. According to missionary Paul Alfred Contento (Born August 14, 1905, in Volentare, Italy but educated in California) the Church had some 40 members when he left in the year 1933 AD.

The propagation of the Christian faith was further reduced by the arrival of the Long March Veteran Army in late 1935 AD, who helped prop up the local Communist Base in the region allowing little room for a Foreign Religion. It is known that at the time there was a Spanish Bishop in charge of the flock in the region. The Spanish Bishop operated from the Bao'An in North Shaanxi (due East of Yinchuan, Ningxia) where his newly constructed Cathedral was confiscated by communist leader Liu Zhidan and

So did the persecuted Liu Jingshan. In 1951, shortly after the Communist victory, he had been arrested and sent to a labour camp where he spent 19 years taking care of pigs.

When he was finally released in 1970, there was no other choice for him then to return to his hometown where he subsequently lived the life of a simple farmer. There was no question of returning to the church he had left almost 20 years before, since no churches were open and his had been ruined during the Cultural Revolution. Of the 25 active priests in 1951, only one other had been released from labor camp.

In early 1979, some three years after Mao Zedong's passing, the government finally chenged its religious policies. Churches and temples started reopening in 1980 and 1981. Light appeared at the end of a very dark tunnel. In 1983, Father Liu left the farm and made his way to the city of Yinchuan eager to start ministering to the people again.

The next year, in 1984 the government gave Father Liu a piece of land but no finance and ordered him to build a church for the Yinchuan Flock. The church was finally completed in 1987.

When in 1987 AD the new Yinchuan Cathedral was ready for opening it was Liu Jingshan who reappeared as the Church leader. He was appointed the first Bishop of Yinchuan in 1993 AD (Previously Ningxia was part of the diocese of Ba Meng). Ever since he has run a Church with official approval yet adhering as much as possible to the Line determined in Rome. This has not been an easy achievement. Although the constitution guarantees freedom of religious practices, there is plenty of Government involvement with the 5 recognized branches of religion. Apart from the complications of the Chinese state there are machinations sometimes equally opague within the Roman Catholic Church.

Due to lasting disagreements and a long mutual history of distrust between the National Government and the international

Roman Catholic Church it was only on December 21 of 2007 AD that 40-year-old Reverend Joseph LI Jin was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI and ordained as the 'Co-adjutor Bishop' (and successor) to the 96 year old Bishop of Yinchuan, Liu Jing Shan.

According to sources the replacement Bishop Joseph Li Jin was was born and raised in the Ba Meng diocese and ordained priest in 1996. Thereafter he went on to study for four years in Germany. Upon his return to China, he worked at the National Seminary as spiritual director, dean of studies and deputy rector.