All Saints' Church, Tianjin

All Saints' Church (traditional Chinese: 諸聖堂; simplified Chinese: 诸圣堂; pinyin: Zhūshèng táng; Wade–Giles: Chu1-shêng4 tʻang2), also known as the Episcopal Church of Tianjin or, simply the Anglican Church (Chinese: 安里甘教堂; pinyin: Ānlǐgān jiàotáng; Wade–Giles: An1-li3-kan1 chiao4-tʽang2), is a small, redundant Anglican church on Race Course Road (today's Zhejiang Road), in the former British concession of the city of Tianjin, north China.

All Saints' Church, Tianjin
Anglican Church
諸聖堂
Side view of All Saints'
Location2 Zhejiang Road, Heping District, Tianjin
CountryChina
DenominationChurch of England
History
Founded1893
DedicationAll Saints
Past bishop(s)Charles Scott
Frank Norris
Architecture
Functional statusRedundant
Architectural typeChurch
StyleNeo-Gothic, Norman
Groundbreaking1900
Completed1903
Administration
DioceseNorth China

History edit

In 1893, for building an English church in the concession, the British Municipal Council of Tianjin [zh] gave to the Church a marshland near the junction of Meadours Road and Race Course Road. Being capable of holding only 60 people, the church had soon become too small due to the increase in British migration.

The first stone of a new church was laid in 1900, but construction was suspended due to the Boxer Rebellion. After the insurrection subsided in 1901, construction had been resumed under the supervision of Charles Scott, the then missionary bishop of the Diocese of North China, and completed in 1903.[1]

The church was destroyed by a fire in 1935 and was replaced by the present church in the next year.[2] It was built in the fusion of neo-Gothic and Norman architectural styles, covering an area of 1200 square metres, and capable of holding around 300 people.

The church was occupied by a factory during the sociopolitical purge movement of Cultural Revolution (1966–1976).[3] In 2009, All Saints' was restored to its original appearance, however, it is no longer open to the public, visitors are only allowed to appreciate the building from outside.[4][3]

Appearances in films edit

In the 2009 film City of Life and Death, a scene of recruiting comfort girls was filmed in the church; and a number of interior scenes of the 2014 film Outcast, were also shot inside of the church.[5]

Gallery edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ He, Xi, ed. (30 September 2016). "教堂风采之天津安里甘教堂" [The Beauty of Churches: Anglican Church of Tianjin]. gospeltimes.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. ^ "原安里甘教堂 • 哥特之美" [The Former Anglican Church: Beauty of Gothic Architecture]. sohu.com (in Simplified Chinese). 11 November 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "天津安里甘教堂:100多年历史的老建筑,耗时建成,至今魅力不减" [The Anglican Church in Tianjin: An Old Building with a History of More than 100 Years, It Took Time to Complete, and It Has Never Lost Its Charm]. sina.com.cn (in Simplified Chinese). 11 February 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  4. ^ "天津安里甘教堂年底竣工 小破楼变哥特式教堂" [Restoration of the Anglican Church of Tianjin Completed at the End of the Year, the Small Broken Building Turned into a Gothic Church]. gospeltimes.cn (in Simplified Chinese). 27 November 2009. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ^ Xia, Liang (21 April 2016). "天津24小时精致生活指南:安里甘教堂" [24-Hour Guides to Fine Living in Tianjin: The Anglican Church]. sohu.com (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 13 May 2021.