Abstract
Two stone plaques border the main entrance of Xinjie Church, located just off of Zhongshan Road, Xiamen ’s main shopping area that has now been turned into a pedestrian street.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
This source provides a breakdown on the price of the lots and structures: two buildings and one lot, $270; one building on one lot, $100; one lot, $18; one house on a lot, $76; one vacant lot, $76.
- 3.
The screens remained in place until 1909 when they were taken down for an ordination ceremony for a new pastor and were not replaced.
- 4.
For clarification, in English, “church” may refer to Christians in general (Christ’s body on earth), an organized congregation, or a specific building used for Christian worship ; however, in Chinese each of these meanings would use different terms, jiaohui, tanghui, and jiaotang, respectively. In labeling Xinjie as China’s “first church,” the discussion centers on the church building.
- 5.
Some sources note that Holy Trinity Church was built in 1866, but prior to the construction of this structure, an earlier church was built on the same spot in 1847. It must have been poorly constructed because in 1850, the roof caved in and was repaired, but by 1862 the structure was so dilapidated that it was rendered useless. In 1866, it was torn down and construction of the still-standing Trinity Church began. For information on this, see Article VIII (1847), Earnshaw (2008: Ch. 8), and Article VII (1848: 373).
- 6.
As late as 1912, RCA missionary Philip Pitcher (1912: 232–233), claims Xinjie “was not only the very first church building in the Fukien province, but, in so far as can be discovered, the first in the whole empire, i.e. used exclusively for Chinese worshippers” (italics in original). However, two decades prior, in referencing Xinjie, the same author noted, “In the erection of this building the Reformed Church had the privilege of establishing the first Protestant church building in the Chinese Empire” (Pitcher 1892: 105). Regardless, by the 1910s, nearly all English reports that mention the background of Xinjie simply label it as the first church in China.
- 7.
Maybe it was that later authors were unaware of this earlier chapel , but Talmage was in Xiamen before the completion of Xinjie and he should have seen the reports about Medhurst ’s church in Shanghai , especially considering the fact that he had much interaction with John Stronach , who was in Shanghai during the building of Medhurst’s church.
- 8.
- 9.
Information about Xiamen’s participation in this competition can be found at http://www.amoymagic.com/NationsinBloom2002.htm. Accessed February 13, 2017.
- 10.
Interview with Bill Brown , April 10, 2008.
- 11.
Another of the church’s pastors (currently there are three) also used this same phrase in talking to me about how local authorities view the church.
- 12.
It should be noted, however, that the Chinese version of this sign says Xinjie is “one of the earliest churches” in China (zuizao de libaitang zhiyi).
- 13.
- 14.
The Chinese for this is chuancheng zhonghua wenmai, zai zhanding sheng shangjie.
- 15.
The whole church property is under the authority of the Provincial Bureau of Culture, but the wall surrounding the church is managed by the city Bureau of Planning.
- 16.
Although the granting of province-level protection was given before China City submitted their plans for approval, the church did not learn of this until months later. Church authorities that I spoke with, however, do not feel this was a deliberate delay, but rather a coincidental oversight.
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White, C. (2019). Xinjie Church and Christianity as Chinese Cultural Heritage. In: White, C. (eds) Protestantism in Xiamen. Global Diversities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89471-3_2
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