Beijing Street Church, Protestant church in Dalian, China
Beijing Street Church is a Protestant church building on Beijing Street in Dalian, built in 1914 as the Dalian Lutheran Church. The sources record no details of its materials or style; they note only that the building has largely kept the form it had when it was built, and that it is one of six Protestant churches in Dalian's six central districts that still occupy their original church buildings, alongside Yuguang Street Church and Lüshun Church.
The Danish National Church began missions in northern China in 1895 and built the Dalian Lutheran Church in 1914, while Dalian was a Japanese leased territory. It belonged to the Lutheran Church of Northern China within the Lutheran Church of China. After the Second World War and the founding of the People's Republic, it became Beijing Street Church; it was closed during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1977) and later joined the China Christian Council.
Locals still call it Beijing Street Church despite the 2006 renaming to Dalian City Cheng-en Church, meaning "Receiving Grace". It belongs to the post-denominational China Christian Council, and the offices of the city's Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and Christian Council, once housed in its former rectory, moved to May 1 Square.
The church stands on Beijing Street, about two miles from Xinghai Square, in the city's central Xigang district. The 1914 building is listed as a Historic Building Under Protection of the City of Dalian (2002), so it is seen from the street rather than visited as a monument. The offices of the China Christian Council and Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of Dalian City, once housed in the former rectory, have moved to May 1 Square.
Of the six Protestant churches in Dalian's six urban districts, this one, Yuguang Street Church and Lüshun Church keep their original church buildings; Fengshou, the Korean Xinggong church and Jinzhou were rebuilt more recently. The 1914 structure is largely as it was when built.
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