Source: CCTV.com
Some visitors from abroad, who come to the Olympic Games may be worried about finding churches. The Christian faith has a greater presence and longer history in China than many would expect.
The construction industry has been booming in Beijing for about three decades now. More and more buildings spring up on the city's skyline every year. Many of these edifices are designed by western architects. There're the Water Cube, aquatic centre and the Bird's Nest, National Stadium, to name a couple. Amid the entire flurry most people overlook the fact that Beijing's earliest western architectural works were places of worship. These religious centers have endured exceptionally well through the centuries.
The South Cathedral is the oldest church in the Chinese capital. It's at Xuanwumen, on the western side of downtown Beijing. The formal name for the church is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Most local people know it simply as Nantang. It's an imposing structure - covering some 17 hundred square meters. The original church was built here during the early 17th century.

The cathedral's origin is associated with the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci. He came to Beijing to spread the gospel in the early 1600s - during the Ming Dynasty. He brought with him some exquisite timepieces and a wealth of astronomical knowledge. These delighted Emperor Wanli who granted the priest a residence. The Jesuit built a Chinese style chapel there. Half a century later, the Qing Dynasty ruled in China. The German Jesuit Johann Adam Schall von Bell was granted permission to expand the structure into a cathedral. Over the centuries the church has undergone a number of reconstructions necessitated by earthquake, fire, and war. The current Baroque-style building was built in 1904. That's the most recent reconstruction.
The time-honored cathedral is recognized for the quality of the religious art in its interior. There's an oil painting of the Virgin Mary behind the pulpit. Candlesticks and ritual implements are set out on the altar before it. To the left of the pulpit is a portrait of St. Joseph and on the right one of Jesus of the Sacred Heart. Wall paintings depict events in the life of Jesus.

Like most of Beijing's Catholic Churches, the South Cathedral has formed a strong congregation. Some families have lived nearby the church for generations. The church has become well known to foreign residents of Beijing over the past few decades. English-language mass is held every Sunday. For Chinese members of the faith masses are held on the hour from 5 to 7 on weekdays and all day on Sundays.