I had a sound sleep in Zhong An Hotel last night. After taking breakfast in the hotel, I started my day's journey. It was too cooling that I had to put on my thicker clothing. The reception told me that there was a heavy rain that made the weather colder than that of yesterday.

On the way to the subway, it was drizzling. I bought an umbrella.

I did not plan to visit the Great Wall, Imperial Palace and Summer Palace for this trip. I would like to visit the East Church, South Church, West Church and North Church.

The South Cathedral

The South Cathedral is located at 141 Qian Men Xi Da Jie of Beijing Xi Cheng District.
I took a subway train from Beijing Station to Xuan Wu Men Station. A traffic controller showed me that the Church was just located next to the station.
When I was taking pictures in front of the statue of Matteo Ricci, a lady member smiled and welcomed me to visit the church. A few ladies were practicing hymn in the sanctuary. A woman was cleaning the floor and she tried not to block me from taking picture.

I went to the shop in the church and told the shop-keeper that my next destination would be the West Church. She told me that I could take bus 105 to Xi Zhi Men to the church. When I approached a traffic controller, he told me that I could go by subway train too.

The South Cathedral (Nan Tang in Chinese), with the full name of the Church of Immaculate Conception, is also called Xuan Wu Men Catholic Church, named after the location. It was the first church to be built in the centre of Beijing.

It was built in 1601 (Wan Li 29 of the Ming Dynasty) as the residence granted by Ming Emperor Shen Zong to the Jesuit missionaries. When Matteo Ricci (1552.10.6 - 1610.5.11) the Italian Jesuit, came to Beijing, he also stayed there. He bought the nearby "Shou Shan College" for 500 ounces of gold and turned the college into a chapel. The chapel became too small when the volume of believers increased and Father Ricci began to build another bigger church in 1610 (Wan Li 38 of the Ming Dynasty) on the same site.

By 1650 (Shun Zhi 7 of the Qing Dynasty), German Jesuit Johann Adam Schall von Bell rebuilt the Church with the annex serving as the priests residence, an Astronomical observatory, a library and an equipment room. The new church was a baroque style building 20 meters high, 27 meters long and 13 meters wide, with a 4 meters high iron Cross on the top. It was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

When the construction was complete, Father Schall von Bell set up two monuments (which are now in front of the church on the walls at either side of the courtyard). The Emperor Shunzhi wrote the tablet of "Qing Chong Tian Dao" (钦崇天道) which means "Adoration of the Divinity". In 1657, he wrote another tablet of "Tong Wei Jia Jing" (通微佳境) which means "way to Paradise" and also some words for the church.

Showing his high esteem for Father Schall von Bell and for his erudition and charity, the Emperor Shun Zhi visited the church 24 times during the years 1656 - 1657. Every time they had a long friendly conversation. Out of respect, the Emperor called the 59 year-old missionary "Ma Fa" which, in the language of the common man, means "Father". Father Schall von Bell was appointed Director of the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy by two successive Emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Father Schall von Bell died in 1666 and his successor was Father Ferdinand Verbiest, a Jesuit from Belgium. Emperor Kangxi visited him twice in Nan Tang in 1675 (Kangxi 14 of the Qing Dynasty). The Emperor presented the church with two tablets bearing his inscription, "Wan You Zhen Yuan" (万有真原) which means, "the True Source of the Universe" and "Jing Tian" (敬天) which means, "Worship God".

Beijing became a Diocese in 1690 (Kangxi 29, Qing Dynasty). His Grace Bernadin Della Chiesa (Chinese name Kang He Zhi 康和之) was the Bishop and the South Church later became the Cathedral. The original church was destroyed by two earthquakes. Emperor Kangxi granted more than one hundred and seventy thousand ounces of silver to rebuild the church. However, it was gutted by fire in 1775 (Qian Long 40, Qing Dynasty) and the wooden tablets granted by Emperor Shun Zhi and Kang Xi were also destroyed by the fire. Emperor Qian Long granted seventeen thousand ounces of silver to restore the church and all the tablets and inscriptions of the former Emperors.

In 1900, the church was damaged by the Boxers (义和团). It was repaired in 1904.

In 1978, the South Cathedral was the first church reopened after the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命).

On the December 21st 1979, Bishop Michael Fu Tie Shan was ordained there and since then the South Cathedral became the centre of Beijing Diocese.

The West Church

The West Church is located at 130 Xi Zhi Men Nei Street of Beijing Xi Cheng District.
I took a subway train from Xuan Wu Men Station to Xi Zhi Men Station. Getting out from the station, I was confused with the direction.

After finding out the direction from the passerby, I got into the correct way. It was drizzling. In order to make me felt that it was not a long distance to the church, I tried to take picture on the way. I kept asking the passerby and everyone was very kind to show me the direction.

I finally saw the West Church. It was under restoration. The gate was locked and I could visit it.

The West Church (Xi Tang in Chinese) is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and is also called Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. It was the last to be built among the four churches in downtown Beijing.

The West Church was built in 1723 (Yong Zheng 1, Qing Dynasty) by an Italian missionary in a typically Italian style.

In 1811 (Jia Qing 16), Qing government enacted a policy prohibiting Catholicism, but missionaries did not obey the government's directives and thus the church was destroyed.

In 1860, the grounds of the church and its annex were returned to the Church. The West Church was rebuilt in 1867 (Tong Zhi 6). However, only thirty-three years later it was burned down by the Boxers (义和团) on June 15th 1900.

In 1923, the West Church was again restored in the year of its 200th anniversary. Our Lady of Mount Carmel was declared to be the patroness. An elementary school and a kindergarten were also established.

After 1958, the West Church was occupied successively by the Beijing Button Factory and the Beijing Electrical Fan Factory. During the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命), it was used for medicine storage of Beijing Tong Ren Tang Pharmacy (同仁堂制药厂).

In 1994, the church reopened and resumed religious activities. There are more than one thousand believers in the Parish.

In 2004, Beijing Tong Ren Tang Pharmacy returned part of the buildings to the church and it is under restoration.

The East Church

The East Church is located at 76 Wang Fu Jing Street of Beijing Dong Cheng District.

After taking a few pictures outside the West Church, I walked back to the subway station and took a train to Wang Fu Jing Station.
The East Church was the third church I visited. It was also the first church that I met some tourists. I took pictures when I was opposite the church. I then took pictures from the front of the church and walked round the church and took more pictures.

The East Church (Dong Tang in Chinese) was the second oldest church built after the South Cathedral in Beijing. It is also called Wang Fu Jing Church, named after the location. Wang Fu Jing Street is a very prosperous shopping mall in the centre of Beijing.

In 1655, The Emperor Shun Zhi granted Italian missionary Tudovicus Bugio (1606 - 1682) and Portuguese missionary Gabrie Uagahaens (1609 - 1677) a place to be their residence, and a field nearby to build a church. The church was dedicated to St. Joseph.

It collapsed because of an earthquake in 1720. In the following year, Missionary Fei Yin enlarged and rebuilt it in European style. The artist Joseph Castiglione (1688 - 1766) made several famous paintings for the church.

In 1812, while the missionaries were moving the books during the night, the candles were handed carelessly, and it caused a fire. Their houses were in ruins, but the church survived. The church was confiscated by the Qing government, demolished and granted to an official. By 1860 (Xian Feng 10), the property was returned to the Church.

The Bishop Delaplace, collected a substantial amount of money and succeeded in building a Romanesque style church in 1884 (Guang Xu 10). This church was burned by Boxers (义和团) on the June 13th 1900.

It was the third time to rebuild the East Church in 1905. However, during the year of rebuilding, the church wall collapsed, and thus it has remained ever since. During the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命), it became a storehouse. It reopened in 1982.

On the September 11th 2000, Beijing government commenced a magnificent total reconstruction of Wang Fu Jing Street and spent 80 million Yuan to restore the church and develop a plaza. Full of beauty and elegance, like the most shinning pearl along Wang Fu Jing Street and the bright scenery of the Eastern section of downtown Beijing, the present East Church attracts visits from many residents and tourists.

Wang Fu Jing

After visiting the East Church, I went to look for food as it was noon time.
Along the lane, there were many small shops selling all kinds of food. Some foods made me feel hungry and some made me dare not to eat it when knowing their names. I bought a vegetable spring roll and walked around the souvenir street.

There was a mobile clinic for public to donate blood. It was to collect for those needed in the Sichuan quake.

Liu Bu Kou

I asked my son what souvenir he would like to have before I came to China. He requested to have a lens for his camera. I went to the camera shop in Wang Fu Jing to look for it. The shopkeeper said that I could get it in those camera shops in Liu Bu Kou. She was very kind that she wrote down the bus to take and which station to alight.

I took a bus to Liu Bu Kou and could not find a suitable camera lens for m son.

I was attracted by whatever I saw on the way. The rubbish bins, the telephone kiosk, the postal collection, the under path, etc. I was tired and I went back to the hostel for a short break.

The North Church

The North Church is located at 33 Xi Shi Ku Da Jie of Xi Cheng District in Beijing.

I took a rest and continued my trip after four o'clock. I took a bus 103 at the Beijing West Station. The bus 103 seemed like a trolley bus. It travelled like a normal bus. But after a few stations, it stopped and two trolley poles were connected to the overhead wires.

I got off the bus at Xi An Men. I found the church after the direction by the passerby. When I stepped into the main gate, an old man asked me the purpose of coming to the church. He was not that friendly that made me very surprised. I tried to put up a smiling face. I told him that I came from Singapore on purpose to take pictures of the church. He still did not smile and said that I could not enter the sanctuary.

I walked towards the church and saw a road repair vehicle in front of the church. A woman was there with a little boy. I requested her to take a picture for me.

After visiting the three churches, the North Church was the last church I wanted to visit for my trip to Beijing. I was slightly disappointed by the attitude of the old man at the entrance. It seemed that China is still not open to the world.

When I was on the way back, I saw another man at the entrance. He smiled at me. I smiled too and told him that I came from Singapore to take the picture of that church. He said that there was another old church. I said that I needed to go back to hotel and I did not have time to visit any other church.

The North Church (Bei Tang in Chinese) is the largest and the most beautiful church in Beijing. It is a very special church for its combination of gothic architecture and Chinese royal horticulture. It is also called Church of Xi Shi Ku, named after the location.

The construction of the North Church started in 1693 (the 32nd year of Kang Xi, Qing Dynasty). Once when the Emperor Kang Xi fell ill with malaria, the royal doctors could not find an effective medicine, Father Gerbillon and Father Jean de Bouvet, French Jesuit missionaries offered quinine to the Emperor. The Emperor was recovered quickly. He was so glad that he received the five Jesuit missionaries and granted them a place called Can ("tsan") Chi Kou and a big volume of silver to build a church. The construction finished in 1703 (Kang Xi 42).

The Emperor Kang Xi wrote an honourable tablet mentioning "The Origin of the Universe (万有真原)", a pair of symmetrical inscriptions "Ever existing, king forever and ever; Saviour of Charity, God of Power (无始无终先作形声真主宰；宣仁宣义聿照拯济大权衡)" and a poem as well to celebrate the consecration of the church, which was held with full of solemnity on the 9th December 1703.

Dedicated to Jesus, the church was called "Church of Our Saviour". In 1886 (Guang Xu 12) the church had to be relocated due to the enlargement of the Royal Palace. The Emperor gave funds of 350 thousand ounces of silver for its reconstruction at the present place. Two years later, the construction was completed.

The church is cruciform with two transepts. Around the chancel of 256 square meters, there are nine beautiful chapels in the transepts and the apse. In the chancel itself, there are Bishops' seats and 48 choir-stalls for the various ministers. The nave of the church is 60 meters long with thirty-six stone pillars of 16.33 meters high, based on white marble plinth and decorated, Corinthian style, with carvings of beautiful leaves at the top. The French-made stained glass windows in the church are brilliant. In the choir-loft is a French-made large organ. Originally it boasted a stand with delicate Chinese carvings.

A white marble portrait of "Jesus, the Good Shepherd" is encrusted on the facade. Above the main entrance, the decree of the construction of the church is also mentioned on the wall. The statue of St. Michael is on the top of the church in the middle, and two Cherubs stand on the top of the two bell-towers.

In front of the church, there is a 1.5 meters high platform of black stone surrounded by white marble balustrades decorated with small stone lions, and with flight of seven steps on each side. To the left and right of the platform, there are two Chinese royal pavilions, each holding a stone tortoise carrying a stone stele. The bricks of the first storey of the church weigh about 35 kilo each. At the time the church was rebuilt, the bishop's office, a seminary, and an orphanage were also included in the construction.

The North Church was damaged by Boxers (义和团) in 1900 and repaired in 1901 (Guang Xu 27).

During the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命), the North Church was used for other purposes.

In early 1985, the North Church was returned to the Catholic Church with the assistance of the government of Beijing in accordance with the religious policy.

On the Christmas 1985, Bishop Fu Tie Shan celebrated the solemn consecration of the North Church for its reopening. The North Church has been revived with customary religious activities there ever since.

Beijing 2008

On the way back to the hotel, I saw Tian An Men, Bei Hai, and Imperial Palace. It has been three years after my last visit to Beijing. The Beijing Olympic 2008 is on the way soon.

While traveling by the subway train, by bus, taking meals in the restaurant and staying in the hotel, I imagined that I was a tourist who could not understand Chinese. What the relevant organisations can do to help the tourists?
I took down whatever came to my mind. I wrote down the notes and sent to my friend who works in China Radio International. I wished that she could pass on the ideas to the organisations concerned.

• More English-speaking workers needed at the subway stations, platform and bus stations. If they wear a standard uniform with a badge with "I speak English" would be better.
  
• More route map to be displayed at the platform, so that the passenger know which direction to take the train.
  
• At the transfer stations, display the maps of different routes.
  
• At the stations, display the map of buildings, hotels, shopping malls around the station.
  
• To print the credit card size subway route map and distribute to the tourists at airport and hotels.
  
• To have worker at the transfer station to assist the tourists where to get transfer.
  
• The IC Cards for transport should be available at all hotels and at the airport.

I took a subway train and I liked the lighted map for the route traveled. Red light to show the stations that passed and green light to show the stations to travel to. It was a very good signboard.

• The menu in the restaurants to have English name and to have the picture of the disc if possible.
  
• Waiters should know which the vegetarian discs are.
  
• To supply fork and spoon for dinners who cannot use chopsticks.
  
• To display the name of the discs at the buffer meals.

The above suggestions are mainly for those tourists who do not understand Chinese.