Xiaoweixi Catholic Church

Xiaoweixi Catholic Church

Xiaoweixi Catholic Church is located in Xiaoweixi Village, Tongwei Village Committee, Bajixun Township, Weixi Lisu Autonomous County. Also known as the Sacred Heart Church, it was built by the French in 1870. It is one of the best-preserved traditional Chinese-style churches among those still maintained by inland Christian communities in China. Before liberation, the Xiaoweixi church had attached facilities such as an orphanage, a medical clinic, and separate schools for boys and girls, with most students being Tibetan. At that time, there were usually three or four priests residing at the Xiaoweixi Catholic Church.

Due to the diverse ethnic composition of Yunnan Province, churches built over a hundred years ago have absorbed rich ethnic characteristics. Xiaoweixi Church, for instance, was constructed in the traditional architectural style of the Naxi people. With its white walls, blue bricks, and gray tiles, if not for its location in Yunnan, it could easily be mistaken for a traditional Huizhou-style residence. Were it not for the towering golden cross on the roof, no one would guess it was a church.