Beijing North Cathedral - A Remarkable Gem

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Beijing North Cathedral

Beijing North Cathedral (Beitang - 北堂), in the West of the city, but still within the grounds of the old Imperial City, is easily the building that has moved me most in China. It’s remarkable, and easily worth a blog entry (albeit a rather niche one) to itself.

History
The Cathedral was first built by a group of Jesuits in 1703 near ZhongNanHai lake. But in 1824 the Qing Emperor of the time (Emperor Daoguang) ordered its demolition. Though the land was returned to the church in 1860, it was forced to move 17 years later in order to expand the Imperial Palace. The monetary compensation for the move was spent on building that you see today.

The Cathedral continued to be at the centre of troubles. For two months in 1900 it came under siege during the anti-imperial and anti-Christian Boxer uprising, and relied on a group of French and Italian marines to prevent the heavy damage sustained by the Eastern and Southern Cathedrals. It was less lucky during the Cultural Revolution, suffering considerable damaged before serving as a factory warehouse for a number of years.

But the tide turned in 1990 when the Cathedral underwent major renovation, and it has been protected as a "cultural relic" and functioning Cathedral ever since.

The Cathedral
I’ve been to fair number of temples in China, and though always worth a visit they also have a tendency to be rather formulaic. It's often said if you've seen one temple in China you’ve seen them all. But it’s more than just that, they also often seem rather impersonal. You get the impression, whether fairly or not, that they are there primarily as a honey pots for tourists (Chinese and foreign alike), and secondarily as places of religious worship.

But the North Cathedral feels different. It feels cared for, personal and very much a place of prayer, consideration and community. Visitors are welcomed, but incidental. There were groups of men sat in the churchyard practicing singing Psalms, flower attendants making adjustments to the arrangements, and even the fans in the Cathedral had snug fitting handmade covers.

I find Churches in China fascinating, they are the meeting of two great drivers of world civilisation - Christianity and the Chinese Empire; two institutions that have, for so long, sat at conflicting ends of the civilisation spectrum. Yet, in this Cathedral in particular, the history is put to one side and the two come together in complete peace and harmony in a manner that feels utterly natural.

Many foreign visitors to China, myself included, try their best to understand this country and its culture, but I can’t help feeling when I visit such a place that it is an impossible task - that I am barely scratching the surface and can never properly appreciate the intense complexities involved. Not that I mind - to me that thought is far more inspiring than it is frustrating.

As I left the Cathedral the female warden, in a perfectly rehearsed accent warmly bid me farewell: “Thank you and God Bless you. Welcome to come again.” And I will.

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