Poli Catholic Church

Poli Catholic Church

Poli Catholic Church is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaocheng City.

Yanggu Poli Catholic Church is a large Catholic church located in Polizhuang Village, Dingshui Town, 17 kilometers north of Yanggu County, Shandong Province. It serves as the cathedral of the Diocese of Yanggu (established in 1933), and is the largest Catholic church in western Shandong. The church oversees religious affairs across six counties including Yanggu, Shenxian, and Fanxian. It is now a municipal-level key cultural relic protection unit.

The church was first built in 1882, with two-story buildings constructed around the perimeter. A surrounding wall was built on the rooftop platform, allowing access all around, resembling an outer wall. Inside, there are main structures such as a grand church that can accommodate a thousand people, a chapel, a bell tower, and a monastery. Additionally, there are facilities such as an elderly care home, orphanages for boys and girls, and a convent, making the complex very expansive.

On January 14, 1928, the earliest peasant uprising led by the Chinese Communist Party in Shandong Province broke out here. Although the rebellion failed, it planted the seeds of revolution — “a spark that could start a prairie fire” — in the hearts of the people, laying the groundwork for future revolutionary efforts in northwestern Shandong. The governments of Liaocheng City and Yanggu County have erected a monument here inscribed with “Memorial Site of the Donglin Revolutionary Committee” to commemorate the event.