Many people may not know that Tibet actually has a Catholic church, and it is very beautiful, known as one of the top ten most beautiful churches in China, but this Catholic church is also the only Catholic church in Tibet, the scale is not large, located next to the 214 National Highway of Kangqing Highway, adjacent to the famous Mangkang Millennium Ancient Salt Pan, so people affectionately call it Yanjing Catholic Church.
The Yanjing Catholic Church is located above the thousand-year-old salt well (the thousand-year-old salt well is located in the canyon, and this church is located above the canyon), and it covers an area of about 6,000 square meters. According to local friends, yanjing catholic church is a classic example of the cultural exchange and integration of Chinese and Western cultures, Tibetans and Western cultures, and it is also a rare religious culture in the history of Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan mission.
According to official accounts, the only Catholic church in Tibet was founded in 1855, 166 years ago, by the French missionaries deng deliang and Bit at that time, but there are some other versions of the folk, some say that in 1878 a French missionary surnamed Bai introduced Catholicism to Tibet, in 1880 went to Batang to join Father Bit, who was then preaching in Batang, and was expelled in Batang in 1887, and had to return to the salt well by the arrow furnace to build this Catholic church.
Another version is Liu Jun's 1991 paper published in Tibet Studies, "Analysis of Foreign Churches in Kham District", saying that "Yanjing Church was opened by the French Priest Lü in the 1860s, with 342 followers", so there are many versions of folklore, as to which one is true, Yu Fan can not delve into it, but it is very distinctive but true.
It is understood that the development of Catholicism in Tibet is not smooth, it can even be said that it is full of hardships, according to the Qing Dynasty history books, under the pressure of the local government of Tibet and Lhasa Gandan Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Qing government, French missionaries were expelled between September and October 1865, and later some missionaries quietly came to Yanjing to continue to spread Catholicism, so that this church can survive in the world.
It is understood that at that time, foreign missionaries spreading Catholicism here was strongly opposed by the Tibetan Buddhist monks and traditional Tibetan forces, and there have been many conflicts in history, of which the conflict with Gangda Monastery in the 1940s was the most intense, and the church had a total of 15 priests, of which 7 were killed.
After the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the local religious people applied to the Qamdo regional government for restoration, and through the mediation of the director of the People's Liberation Government, Bunda Dorjee, and others, the Catholic Church was reopened, although it was later destroyed in the 1960s and 1970s, but after the reform and opening up, the Party Central Committee implemented a new religious policy, and the local people could follow different beliefs and coexist peacefully.
According to the relevant introduction, the Catholic church we see so far should be rebuilt in the 1980s, and the building is cleverly integrated into a variety of styles of Tibetan houses, Chinese architecture and Western architecture, making it unique and distinctive.
And the Catholic Church here also follows the local customs, although it also regards Christmas as a major holiday, but also like other Tibetan compatriots, the Tibetan New Year is regarded as the beginning of the new year, when they celebrate Christmas, in addition to the priest presiding over Mass, preaching sermons, there will also be Tibetan traditional pot village dance, string dance to celebrate, it is also a kind of cultural integration.
According to a local friend, some people in the local people's families believe in Tibetan Buddhism, some people believe in Catholicism, and a family with two faiths can coexist peacefully, which was unimaginable before, which also shows china's cultural tolerance and cultural self-confidence.
As for saying that it is one of the ten most beautiful churches in China, I don't know what the basis is, we only see such an introduction in the church's exhibition board and promotional materials, but if it can be with St. Sophia's Church, Guangzhou Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sheshan Virgin Cathedral, Xujiahui Catholic Church, Hongjialou Catholic Church, Xishiku Church, St. Michael's Church, Hong Kong St. John's Cathedral, etc., it should not be so obscure, what do you think?