In 1898, during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qingdao became a German concession. The Germans demolished the original Chinese villages and rebuilt a new European style city. The Gouvernements-Hügel (now Guanhaishan 观海山) was chosen for building a Protestant church and a Roman Catholic church. On 1 June 1907, the Protestant church solicited a competition scheme from architects in East Asia.[2] Finally, the design scheme of German architect Curt Rothkegel was selected. However, because the bell tower's style is too modern, Paul Richter and Hachmeister read the draft and gave notes for improvement.[2] Construction started on 19 April 1908 and was completed on 23 October 1910, under the financial support of the German Governor's Office in Qingdao.[2] The church was officially named "Evangelische Kirche für Tsingtau" (德国礼拜堂).
In 1914, the World War I broke out. On November 7, the Imperial Japanese Army captured Qingdao. Four years later, after the end of World War I, German missionaries were repatriated, and the church was taken over by the Lutheranism in Qingdao.[2] After the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941, all British and American in the north China were detained in the Weixian Internment Camp, the church was presided over by Su Baozhi (苏保志), a German priest of Qingdao Tongshan Society (青岛同善会). From 1945 to 1949, German believers and American believers gathered here in the morning and evening respectively until the withdrawal of the United States Army.[2] On 2 June 1949, Qingdao was controlled by the People's Liberation Army.[2]
The building area of the church is 1,297.51-square-metre (13,966.3 sq ft), which can accommodate about 1,400 people.
References
^Bo Ya (博雅) (28 March 2018). 探秘文化市南 青岛老建筑:静谧处江苏路基督教堂. ifeng.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 31 July 2021.
^ abcdefghij青岛市江苏路基督教堂. qingdaochurch.com (in Chinese). 20 June 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
Further reading
Weihong, Luo (2014-05-01). 《中国基督教(新教)史》 [History of Protestantism in China] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House. ISBN9787208121324.