Former Site of Dao Sheng Tang

Former Site of Dao Sheng Tang

The former site of Dao Sheng Tang is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

Nanjing’s Dao Sheng Tang is located at No. 408 Zhongshan North Road and currently houses the Twelfth Middle School of Nanjing. The church was built in 1915 by the Protestant Episcopal Church (later renamed the Church of China) and was named Dao Sheng Tang, meaning “Victory through the Way.”

Dao Sheng Tang was a place for missionary work and worship for the Protestant Episcopal Church. It is said that American missionary John Magee once lived here. During the [period], Magee took a large number of photographs documenting the atrocities committed by the Japanese invading army in China, which became irrefutable evidence of their crimes. In 1995, Chinese-American writer Iris Chang came to Nanjing for on-site investigation while researching her book *The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II*. She visited Dao Sheng Tang and photographed the house where John Magee had lived.

In 1921, Dao Sheng Primary School was established on the former site of Dao Sheng Tang, offering religious education from the third grade. In 1940, Dao Sheng Middle School was founded, and the primary school was relocated. In 1950, Dao Sheng Middle School merged with Huimin Middle School and was renamed Huimin Middle School. In 1952, it was again renamed the Twelfth Middle School of Nanjing. In 1985, the Nanjing Municipal Education Bureau carried out renovations on the former site of Dao Sheng Tang. Four buildings from the original Dao Sheng Tang complex remain. These structures feature a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, with traditional Chinese exteriors and Western-style interiors. The surviving buildings include both hip-and-gable roofs and pyramidal roofs. All structures are of brick-and-wood construction, featuring barrel-tiled roofs and painted eaves. The total building area is 2,173 square meters. In 1991, the former site of Dao Sheng Tang was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Nanjing. Located on Zhongshan North Road, it enjoys convenient transportation, with bus lines 12, 16, 18, 31, 32, 34, and 39 all accessible.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province