Experience

Photos adapted from See Chengdu
Text by Samuel Ma Huaqing

The Shangshuyuan Church is located in Group 2, Huishui Village, Bailu Town, Pengzhou City in Chengdu. Its construction started in 1895 and, after 13 years, it was completed in 1908. The church was built by a French Catholic missionary and the building occupies a land area of 10440 square metres, including the main building, the north and south foyers and St. Mary's Worshipping Auditorium, which occupied 4434 square metres.

The priests did a wonderful job. They spread the gospel to the villagers with much patience and resilience. They faced the obstacles and real-life struggles as martyrs, and carefully disseminated God's gospel among the villagers. To enhance their evangelism, they even took measures to please the villagers, such as announcing that whoever becomes a Catholic can enjoy free Western medical treatment, and they would help those who did not own any fields to grow crops. They would even send lonely, old people to the nursing home they had set up. Children could go to school for free. The missionary would also matchmake for those who were single.

As a result, more and more Chinese people walked into the church and had themselves baptised, attended worship services in the church regularly. In the mass hysteria of repentence and prayer, the hope of going to heaven filled the hearts of the villagers.

According to historical writings, during the Ming and Qing dynasties in ancient China, there were as many as 10 000 Catholic believers in Sichuan Province. In Bailu Town, as many as 1000 villagers were baptised.

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