Longzhou Catholic Church

Longzhou Catholic Church

Longzhou Catholic Church is a cultural relic protection unit of Longzhou County.

The Catholic Church is located within the compound of the county meteorological bureau on Limin Street, Longzhou County. The church was built in 1896 during the late Qing Dynasty. It is a Gothic-style structure, originally three stories high, measuring 21 meters in length, 5.4 meters in width, and 12 meters in height (the current height, excluding the spire which has been removed), covering a land area of 113.4 square meters, a building area of 340 square meters, and a baptismal pool area of about 30 square meters. The original building complex occupied approximately one acre of land (including the church and the baptismal pool). After the Sino-French War, the Qing government and France signed the Sino-French Treaty of Tientsin in Tianjin, opening up trade along the China-Vietnam land border. Longzhou was established as a trading port, with the setting up of a customs house, consulates, and other facilities. The Sino-French War enabled Longzhou to break through the conventional progression of modernization development, making it the first city in Guangxi to feel the influence of internationalization. The Catholic Church also became one of the witnesses and representative buildings of this historical period. It was announced as a county-level cultural relic protection unit of Longzhou County on March 25, 2005.

Longzhou Town: The ancient town of Longzhou is situated in the southern part of Guangxi, on the upper reaches of the Zujiang River, at the confluence of the Ping’er River and the Shuikou River. To the east, it connects to Nanning and the inland areas; to the west, it leads to Vietnam via the Shuikou River, making it a strategically important location known since ancient times as a key stronghold of the southern frontier. In 221 BC, after Qin Shi Huang unified China, Longzhou came under the jurisdiction of Xiang Commandery. Over the past two thousand years, Longzhou has undergone several name changes. By the fourth year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty (621 AD), it was officially established as Longzhou. The town covers a total area of 11.62 square kilometers, encompasses 7 communities, has 3,763 mu of arable land, and a total population of 15,708. In recent years, Longzhou Town has leveraged its locational advantages and reso… Longzhou Town Detailed Information++