Christ Church Cangmenkou Hall

Christ Church Cangmenkou Hall

Christ Church Cangmenkou Hall is a Tianjin Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Christ Church Cangmenkou Hall

Era: October 1910

Address: East Gulou Street, Nankai District

Category: Important Modern Historical Site and Representative Building

Tianjin Christ Church Cangmenkou Hall was established on October 19, 1912, and is the first “Three-Self” (self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating) patriotic church in North China founded, supported, and evangelized by Chinese Christians. The church has achieved notable accomplishments over the years in preaching, education, charity, and various patriotic movements in modern times.

The overall architecture of Christ Church Cangmenkou Hall faces south and includes a main gate, side rooms, and the sanctuary. It covers a land area of 1,241 square meters and a building area of 1,126 square meters. When the church was first established, the sanctuary was built along the street. As the congregation grew, the sanctuary was rebuilt and relocated to the rear of the church complex in 1934. The sanctuary is a two-story modern religious building with blue brick pointed roofs and corrugated iron roofing, featuring a distinctive design that can accommodate over 400 people for worship. The auxiliary buildings within the church compound are mostly two-story structures. The outer courtyard includes a two-story building with 18 rooms—two of which are used for office and reception purposes, while the other sixteen are for clergy and church members' residence. A side chapel facing the street seats around fifty to sixty people and is used for outreach services. Additionally, there is a two-story cross-wing residential building with five rooms located to the east of the sanctuary. All church buildings are of brick-and-wood construction with large windows and doors.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Tianjin Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units