Walking the Wall

Qingtongxia’s brand new Christian Church

As Sunday had been decreed a day of rest, we dressed up in our finest and headed off to church. As in Christian church.

Now, Ningxia is not known for its Christian churches. Not many places in China are. The largest minority group in Ningxia, the Hui people, are Chinese Muslims whose impressive mosques can be seen looming over many of the province’s large towns. These, together with the Buddhist and Taoist temples that have dotted the region for hundreds of years, are the most popular places of worship for the residents of Ningxia.

So when we spotted a spire topped by a cross as we entered Qingtongxia, we were surprised and thought we’d have a look.

We pulled up to the church late in the morning, after services – we wanted to talk to people, but we didn’t want to interrupt anything. The director of the church, Mr Tian, and the church school’s teacher, Mr Chen, graciously greeted us and escorted us to Mr Tian’s office, gave us each a can of goji juice and filled us in on the church’s background.

With the church members. The man holding the boy in a yellow coat is Mr Chen, the church school’s teacher.

Qingtonxia Christian Church was established in 1990 by a congregation of two and with no money for all practical purposes. It is a “Protest” (Protestant) church, but is not affiliated with any denominations as far as we understand. For the first 16 years of the church’s existence, services were held in a small, cramped building.

From that modest beginning the church has grown to have a congregation of more than 200, and just this year completed a new church building at a cost of 1.5 million RMB ($250,000 AUD), with some funding coming from local donations and the bulk from Hong Kong Christians. As you can see from the photos, it’s an attractive building, with a large sanctuary and offices and classrooms on the second and third floors. Inside, there are rows of about 300 plastic chairs and up behind the pulpit on stage is a wall-sized picture of a tranquil mountain scene.

As we talked with Mr Tian and Mr Chen, other members of the congregation drifted in and out, and once we had heard the basic story of the church, it was our turn for questioning. Are most people in Australia Christians? (Many.) Do most people go to church? (No.) Are there other religions in Australia? (Yes.)

Seeing that our ability to talk religion in Chinese was rapidly running dry, Mr Tian called a church member who teaches English at the technical high school. From that point on the day devolved into one of those exhilarating but exhausting (and exasperating) exercises in Chinese hospitality we occasionally find ourselves in.

Chen Yonghong (”Hilton”), the schoolteacher, arrived with his 14-year-old son, Chen Le, and for good measure he brought his friend Li Xiaojun, who is not a church member but is the vice-president of the county’s Communist Party school (which, from what we gather, trains government and party workers in Party policy and ideology). Mr Li brought his 13-year-old son, Li Qing.

From left, Brendan, Hilton’s son Chen Le, Hilton, Mr Li and his son Li Qing. See the family resemblances?

They hauled us and the church leaders off to lunch at a local Hui Muslim restaurant. Ningxia is nothing if not ecumenical. Then it was time for photos in front of the church. After that, Hilton, Mr Li, their sons and the two of us piled into a taxi - that’s five adults and two teenage boys in a small sedan - and headed off to see the 108 Pagodas, a set of Buddhist stupas on the Yellow River, where we circumnavigated the main stupa in a traditional Buddhist ritual (more ecumenicalism).

The main stupa at 108 pagodas

By then it was time to eat again, and of course the evening would not have been complete without an hour-long stroll through Qingtongxia’s new park (it’s only -10° C, what are you complaining about?) and late-night tea at Mr Li’s.

As if going to a church wasn’t enough for our day of rest.