Yuguang Street Church

Yuguang Street Church (simplified Chinese: 玉光街礼拜堂; traditional Chinese: 玉光街禮拜堂) is a Protestant church in Dalian, China. It is the former Dalian Anglican Church (traditional Chinese: 大連聖公會教堂; simplified Chinese: 大连圣公会教堂; Japanese: 大連聖公会教会) and the building is a Historical Protected Building of Dalian City.^[1][2]

The church with Zhongshan Square and Dalian World Trade Center Building in the background

Brief history

In the early 20th century an Anglican church was built on the premises of the British consulate in Dalian. In 1928 the second-generation church building was built by a joint effort of the Church of England and the Anglican-Episcopal Church of Japan, and named Dalian Anglican Church. Services were held in English and Japanese. The church belonged to the North China Diocese of the Anglican-Episcopal Province of China.

At the end of the Second World War, all Japanese-owned buildings were confiscated by the Chinese, the religious buildings were never used as such; as Britain owned half of the church, it was left as a Christian church and was renamed "Yuguang Street Church". During the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1977 when all religious activities were suppressed, the stained glass windows were smashed broken and the church was used as a place for children's activities.

As Christian services restarted in the early 1980s, the church came under the post-denominational China Christian Council. In 2001, it was listed as one of Dalian City's 100 or so Protected Historical Buildings.

Cornerstone

The cornerstone to the right of the church entrance says in English (on the left side) and Japanese (on the right, written vertically): "To the glory of God this stone was dedicated May 6th 1928 by Francis Lushington Norris D.D. bishop in north China"

Cornerstone

See also

Protestantism in China