Mu'en Church

　　Mu'en Church, originally named Moore Memorial Church and also known as "Mule Tang," belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (a Protestant denomination), and is situated at the intersection of Middle Tibet Road 316 and Jiujiang Road in Huangpu District, facing People's Square. It is a Christian church featuring a tall bell tower. Built in 1929, the church adopts the popular American collegiate Gothic architectural style and is constructed with brick and wood. At the southwest corner of the main hall is the base of a tower, topped with a five-meter-high neon cross that shines brilliantly at night, becoming a major landmark of People's Square. The designer was the renowned Czech-born Austro-Hungarian architect Ladislav Hudec.

　　The name "Mu'en Church" means "bathed in the grace of the Lord." Its predecessor was the Methodist Episcopal Church, South’s supervision chapel, built in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1887). In 1900, to commemorate the assistance of a believer named Moore, the supervision chapel was renamed Moore Memorial Church. In 1930, a red-brick Gothic church was completed, featuring an auditorium that could accommodate over 1,000 people and music rooms among other facilities. The site once hosted social and cultural initiatives such as night schools and remedial classes. Currently, regular religious activities are held, with ceremonies conducted during Easter and Christmas. The East China Theological Seminary is also housed within the church.

　　Mu'en Church follows the Neo-Gothic style and was completed in 1931. The church has a brick-and-wood structure, with a spacious foyer at the front, and the main body located in the central section, which can accommodate a total of 1,000 people — 560 in the nave, 380 in the balcony, and 60 in the choir area. The rectangular columns in the main hall, the railing of the balcony, and the pulpit are all surfaced with artificial stone, while the interior reveals a cement canopy with pointed arches. In 1936, an American parishioner visiting the site donated funds for the installation of a five-meter-high neon cross atop the church’s bell tower, making it a prominent and well-known church in Shanghai and even across the Far East at the time.

　　In 1958, various Christian denominations in Shanghai held united worship services here, officially naming it “Mu’en Church.” On September 25, 1989, the church was designated by the municipal government as an Outstanding Modern Architectural Cultural Relics Protection Unit of Shanghai.

　　Mu'en Church was founded by the American Methodist Episcopal Church missionary John W. Root. Its predecessor was the supervision chapel set up by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, built in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1887). In the 1920s, the number of parishioners increased dramatically, and the old church could no longer accommodate them. Plans were then made to raise funds and let the original McTyeire School for Girls (now the church site) be used to build the new Moore Memorial Church. Construction began in 1929 and was completed in 1931, resulting in a red-brick Gothic church that included an auditorium seating over 1,000 people and music rooms, among other spaces.

　　The church faces west and covers a site area of 1,347 square meters with a floor space of 3,138 square meters, using a composite brick-and-wood structure. Hungarian architect Ladislav Hudec was responsible for the architectural design. Hudec created a freely composed plan and form for the building, with the exterior walls combining concave and convex red bricks, reflecting his unique design style. The central part of the complex is the main hall, spanning three sections with the middle span being particularly large and surrounded by balconies on three sides, offering a total of 1,000 seats. A tower stands at the southwest corner, adjacent to a four-story annex and affiliated school buildings. The exterior facade is clad in dark brown face bricks, with quoins and window frames adding a sense of antiquity and mystery. Upon completion, the church was hailed as “majestically built, ranking first among churches nationwide.”

　　In 1936, an American parishioner donated funds to install a five-meter-high neon cross atop the tower, with a motorized base enabling the shining cross to rotate on all sides, further enhancing the church’s fame. Starting in 1958, united worship services were held among various Christian denominations in Huangpu District, and the church was named “Mu'en Church,” meaning “bathed in the grace of the Lord.”