Ma Pao Church

Ma Pao Church

Ma Pao Church is a cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing Municipality.

Ma Pao Church is located at the site of the Dazu Missionary Case in Taiping Village, Shimashi Town, Dazu County, dating back to 1909.

Ma Pao Church in Dazu, located in Shimashi Town, is also known as Shimashi Catholic Church. It was built with the 1,186,100 taels of silver compensation paid by the Qing Dynasty following the world-shaking Yudengchen Uprising against foreign religions during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. The massive church was constructed by French priests Du and Meng. The main hall was completed in the 30th year of Guangxu (1904), and the bell tower and smaller chapel were finished in the first year of Xuantong (1909). Covering an area of 8,880 square meters, it is a large-scale Western-style structure from the Qing Dynasty. The photo shows the church’s 36-meter-high bell tower, the tallest and most iconic building of the Catholic church.

In 2000, Ma Pao Church was listed as part of the first group of cultural relic protection units of Chongqing Municipality by the Chongqing Municipal People's Government.

Shimashi Town: Located in the southeastern part of Dazu County, Shimashi Town is 15 kilometers from the county seat. It borders Longshui Town to the southwest, Zhifeng Town to the northwest, Yulong Town to the south, and Jinshan Town to the northeast, while its eastern part connects with Shiwang Town of Huilong Town. The Datan and Longtan roads run through the town, providing very convenient transportation. The town has 8 administrative villages and 1 neighborhood committee, with a total population of 33,000, including 31,595 agricultural residents, over 9,600 households, and covers an area of 51.6 square kilometers. In 2004, the gross domestic product reached 115 million yuan, the per capita net income of farmers was 2,540 yuan, and the total grain output was 1... More details about Shimashi Town++