Здраствуйте, когда я учил в университете професор попросил написать статью о современой Православной Церкви в Китае, правда что на английском
Masters: Anatolie Bajora
Professor: Tao Feiya
The Orthodox Christian Community in China Today
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Eastern Orthodoxy arrived in China via Siberia in 1685. In that year, the Kangxi Emperor resettled 31 inhabitants from the captured fort of Albazin on the Amur River. Maxim Leontiev, a priest who went with them, sanctified the first Orthodox Church in Beijing. In the first century and a half, the Orthodox presence in China did not attract many believers. It is said that in 1860 there were not more than 200 Orthodox members in Beijing, including the descendants of naturalized Russians.
However, in the second half of the nineteenth century, the Orthodox Church made big efforts. Russian Spiritual Mission in Beijing Church was blessed with a pious and learned clergy. There were many religious translations into Chinese.
The Boxer Rebellion in 1898-1900, an anti-Western and anti-missionary revolt in China, generated violent attacks on Chinese people who had converted to Christianity. And Chinese Orthodox people were killed, the year, in June, is Honoring 222 Chinese Martyrs , together with Father Mitrofan, in 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion.
Despite the uprising in 1902 in China there existed 32 Orthodox churches with about 6,000 adherents. The Church also managed more schools and orphanages.
In 1949, China was still had 106 Orthodox churches. The main members of these churches were Russian refugees, and about 10,000 Chinese people. During the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Orthodox Church was almost completely destroyed.
Now in China there are only officially three Russians priests and only one Chinese.
After almost half century of hibernation, in 1996 inside the Russian Embassy in Beijing, was effectuated the first memorable Orthodox service, attended with pleasure by all the Russian embassy staff.
In Beijing, at the beginning, there were not any Orthodox churches but, from time to time on Christmas or Easter Day, there were organized services for Russian ethnics and one time even for the Albazin community (the descendants of Russian and Chinese originating from Albazin Fort).
By tradition, Chinese Albazins belong to the Orthodox rite but they lost their religious experience during the Cultural Revolution.
Larger Orthodox communities are in Inner Mongolia, Xingjian and Harbin. One of the older priests, who served there until 2003, was Alexander Zhou.
The majority of Orthodox Christians in China are Russians and the descendents of mixed families. Some Chinese received the Orthodox faith in Russia and Greece during their studies and also were baptized there.
In present many Chinese younger people are interested and in contact with Orthodox knowledge via Internet, but most of the Chinese who receive Orthodoxy, are Catholics and Protestants .
Communication language is very important in the Church, but most of the priests coming from Russia don’t know Chinese well, and often Chinese youth write their e-mail in Chinese and the orthodox pastor answers in English. In Hong Kong the divine service is still being officiated in the Chinese language and some mainland Chinese people have the possibility of going there to be baptized.
In the last 6-7 years in Hong Kong were published several Orthodox religious books in Chinese. One of the most useful is “The Dictionary of Orthodox Religion Lexicon” which contains 2000 words, but the need of the Orthodox community is certainly much greater.
The Orthodox Church in Hong Kong has been open since 1934 and until the 70s of the twentieth century the service was held in English, sometimes in Chinese, and especially in Cantonese. There is also another Greek Orthodox Church, which belongs to the Constantinople Patriarchy.
In the Xingjian Autonomous Region, there are two Orthodox Churches; one in Urumqi other in Kuzhan. In Inner Mongolia there are four churches and one in Harbin.
One problem of the Chinese Orthodox is that, because they are not able to participate in religious services and the preparation process to become a Chinese Orthodox priest issues very slowly; most of Chinese youths who studied in Russia have not obtained the permit yet from the Chinese government.
However, on October 30, 2009 in Beijing was consecrated the Orthodox Church of “Holy Dormition”, and this important ceremony was attended by the Russian Prime Minister V. Putin.
It is assumed that the number of Chinese Christian Orthodox believers should be 12 - 13 thousand persons, most of them living in the North-West and East of China. But the Sunday religious services are not attended by more than 30-50 persons.
In Beijing every year, Christmas and Easter services are attended by about 200-300 people, with the rest of the weekly services by 40-50 parishioners.
The number of foreign Orthodox Christians in Beijing constitutes 300 people; 100-150 of them are Russian ethnics. this number of course is minor because, in Beijing, it is believed there live 5000 - 10,000 Russians people.
In Shanghai, the second most important city in China, this year on May 9 was a historical moment for Christian Orthodox community. The Chinese government allowed an Orthodox service in Shanghai Memorial Church of St. Nicholas, located at Gaolan Rd. 16. Now, only during the International Exhibition in Shanghai in 2010, but the orthodox believers of course hope for more.
The last time the liturgy was held here was a half a century ago.
Since 2002, the Russian Club of Shanghai started to collect signatures and sent them to the Shanghai government, with the request to remove the entertainment place from the Orthodox churches of St. Nicholas (there was a French restaurant) and the Cathedral of Our Lady and Sinful Sporuchnitsy (there was an Exchange and later a night club).
In November 2002 the guest of Shanghai Russian Club was Kirill the Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now Patriarch of the whole of Moscow and Russia). He had a meeting with the Shanghai Russian community and visited the two Orthodox churches. Because of his efforts the problem of these Orthodox religious edifices was introduced to the state head.
So, the Russian Federation Prime Minister M. Kasyanov and V. Putin, then president were addressed with this question to the Chinese central government to resolve this situation. The engaged members of the Russian Federation General Consulate in Shanghai also were involved actively; they contacted and held many meetings with the members of Shanghai government. As a result the entertainment places were suspended from orthodox religious edifices.
Meanwhile in Shanghai since 2005 there was created a Christian Orthodox community, headed by the priest Aleksey Kisilevich.
Since then weekly services have been held inside the Russian General Consulate in Shanghai.
A new stage of the Church development situation began to be seen in the second half of 2009, after the visit of Bishop (formerly archbishop) and Archbishop Mark Egorov (formerly metropolitan) Ilarion Volokolomsk.
In November 2009 the Orthodox community prepared a letter to address the Chinese central government. The first 100 signatures of this letter were collected during the November meeting of the Russian Club in Shanghai. In total over 300 signatures were collected, and it is important to mention that among the signers were not only Russians but also the citizens of other countries such as Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria etc. and everywhere there were enthusiastic people desiring to help the Church collect the signatures.
And in closing, it is necessary to remember the role of the Russian Consulate in Shanghai collaborators, the priests Aleksey, Papa Fu and Ally Shen.
The first service in St. Nicholas Church was held on May 9, 2010, the event is not accidental because, on the same date, was celebrated the 65th Anniversary of Victory over Nazi fascism
Now the weekly Orthodox Mass is held every Sunday from 8.00-12.00 am.
Bibliography
【1】 富锡亮, 东正教复活节与我的尊严,
http://www.russianshanghai.com/chinese/post1704【2】 Сложите Церковь в себе! Беседа с о. Дионисием (Поздняевым),
http://www.russianshanghai.com/articles/interview/post477【3】 陶飞亚 主编：《近代中国基督教史文献读本》，上海大学文学院历史系2010.3.29
【4】
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_Ortodox%C4%83_Chinez%C4%83【5】 Laowaicast 27 (12.05.2010) - Православие в Китае. В гостях отец Дионисий,
http://laowaicast.rpod.ru/【6】 Михаил Дроздов,
http://polusharie.com/index.php?topic=123825.0【7】 Храм воскрес в День Победы,
http://www.russianshanghai.com/blog/post4224【8】
www.rusca.ru【9】
www.orthodox.cnThe list of books for Chinese Orthodox Church
主教 亚历山大（米兰特）编辑：《正教会》，香港圣彼得圣保罗教堂2009年。
主教 亚历山大（米兰特）著，龚蕾、季.米.罗曼诺夫 译： 《天使 上帝蒙福的信使 世界末日》，香港圣彼得圣保罗教堂，正教会中华诸圣会2009。
《俄罗斯正教会对待其他基督教派信徒的基本原则》，俄罗斯正教会禧年主教公会议2000年8月14日批准颁布，香港圣彼得圣保罗教堂，正教会中华诸圣会2009。
主教 亚历山大（米兰特）著，《在麻风病人的岛屿上地狱之门前邪灵及上帝对其审判的正教会教义》，香港圣彼得圣保罗教堂，正教会中华诸圣会2009。
《祈祷书》，承蒙香港圣彼得和保罗教会及莫斯科宗教克鲁季茨基教会会馆捐助。
《圣经》，现代中文读本修订版，联合圣经公会1995。
《圣人列传》第五册，一月（主显月），香港圣彼得圣保罗教堂，正教会中华诸圣会2009年4月。
《Orthodox Prayers》, ST.CATHERINE’S CHURCH IN MOSCOW 2009.
Divine Liturgy St. John Chrysostom, Saint Apostles Peter and Paul, Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
О. Германъ (Подмошенскiй), Цъна Святости, Издательскiй Русскiй Паломникъ, Влаамское Общество Америки, Моссква, 2008
