Teng Shih K'ou Congregational Church

Teng Shih K'ou Congregational Church (Chinese: 燈市口公理會教堂; pinyin: Dēngshìkǒu Gōnglǐhuì Jiàotáng; Wade–Giles: Têng Shih K'ou Kung-li-hui Chiao-t'ang), often simply referred to as the Teng Shih K'ou Church (燈市口教堂), was a Congregational church located at Dengshikou (Teng Shih K'ou) in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It was the largest Protestant church in Beijing until it was demolished during the Cultural Revolution.[1]

Teng Shih K'ou
Congregational Church
Teng Shih K'ou Church
燈市口公理會教堂
Teng Shih K'ou Church in 1919
LocationDongcheng District, Beijing
CountryChina
DenominationCongregational
History
StatusChurch
Founded1864
Founder(s)Eliza Jane Gillett Bridgman
Architecture
Functional statusDemolished
StyleGothic Revival
Specifications
MaterialsBrick, stone

History

Built in 1864, as part of Bridgman Girls' College founded by Eliza Jane Gillett Bridgman,[2] the Teng Shih K'ou Church was the oldest of the American Board Mission churches in Beijing. According to Sidney D. Gamble, it was "a beautiful example of Gothic architecture".[3] The membership roll of the church included some three hundred families, notable for its well-trained pastor and a large number of well-to-do congregants.[4]:338

The church was under the care of Henry Blodget (1825–1903),[5] before being burnt down in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. In 1902, it was rebuilt by William Scott Ament.[6][4]:324 During the Republican era (1912–1949), the church was involved in numerous charitable activities. For instance, a speech in English given by Nellie Yu Roung Ling took place at the church in 1921, in aid of the "School for Poor Children" charity funds.[7]

In 1958, in order to support the Great Leap Forward campaign, the sixty or so churches in Beijing were forced to combine their worship services at four facilities, Teng Shih K'ou Church being one of them.[8] During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), the church was demolished by Red Guards.[9]

References
  1. Xing, Wenjun; Chen, Shujun (10 January 2017). 百年凝視 [Hundred-Year Gaze] (in Traditional Chinese). New Taipei: Yeren Culture Publishing. ISBN 9789863841777.
  2. Huen, Joseph (1 October 2011). 圖片中國基督教簡史 [Chinese Christianity History in Pictures] (in Traditional Chinese). Hong Kong: Logos Publishers. p. 374. ISBN 9789889949167.
  3. Ma, Zhao (11 May 2020). Runaway Wives, Urban Crimes, and Survival Tactics in Wartime Beijing, 1937-1949. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center. p. 149. ISBN 9781684175598.
  4. Gamble, Sidney D. (1921). Peking: A Social Survey. New York: George H. Doran Company.
  5. Annual Report - American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Volumes 79-82. American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. 1889. p. 78.
  6. "北平记忆：1917年拍摄的北京老照片" [Memories of Peking: Old Photographs of Peking Taken in 1917]. sohu.com (in Simplified Chinese). 25 April 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  7. Rong, Tao (1995). "记容龄谈西太后轶事" [Anecdotes about the Empress Dowager Cixi by Roungling]. 中华文史资料文库 [Chinese Historical Accounts Series] (in Simplified Chinese). 1. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  8. Lian, Xi (20 March 2018). Blood Letters: The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, a Martyr in Mao's China. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 9781541644229.
  9. Chao, Hsü (1 November 2013). 從土改到文革: 中國當代一○○位知識分子的厄難 [From Land Reform Movement to Cultural Revolution: The Tribulations of 100 Contemporary Chinese Intellectuals] (in Traditional Chinese). Taipei: Independent Author. p. 483. ISBN 9789863261919.

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