David Esteban
a Catholic cathedral in a Chinese city
It is rather curious to find a Catholic cathedral (such as Xikai) in a Chinese city that is not top quality, such as Tianjin. It is also curious to see the business that goes on in a communist country. It is famous because it is advertised in newspapers. It is also famous because it holds the record of baptisms in the region. The building is 1.585 square meters and 45 meters high. In Tianjin, people call it the "French Church" because the missionary who founded it was a Catholic from France. It is situated on the outside part of the river Yuanqiangzi, in the Heping District of Tianjin and it was constructed in 1917.
As you can see, the architectural style is rather European, but in the offerings and details you can see Chinese influences (but not in the architecture). If you pass through Tianjin, you may not notice its architecture, but it's pretty funny to see a cathedral like this in this environment.
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