Recently, Beijing Chongwenmen Church concluded its 2025 spring semester Senior Enrichment Program, offering a total of five courses.
Established in April 2018, the Senior Enrichment Program is a special interest-based program designed for seniors aged 60 and above, said the church. It serves as a platform for communication, learning, and mutual support among the elderly. Since its inception, the program has offered 12 different courses, including calligraphy, Chinese painting, fine arts, paper cutting, clay sculpture, traditional culture, music, broadcasting, English, Tai Chi, health preservation, and mental wellness, benefiting more than 100 students.
This semester's curriculum included calligraphy, Chinese painting, paper cutting, dance, and music literacy.
The paper-cutting course, led by Teacher Ma, was themed "Preserving Intangible Cultural Heritage and Enjoying the Silver Age." Students mastered a variety of paper-cutting techniques and produced over 200 window paper-cuts and folk-themed artworks, many of which were selected for display in the church's calligraphy and painting exhibition.
In the Chinese painting course, Teacher Song noted that students had learned to depict grapes, gourds, banana trees, and similar subjects and had begun to grasp the basic structure and form of birds.
Chongwenmen Church, originally named "Asbury Church," was founded in 1870 as the first church established by the American Methodist Episcopal Church in North China. With the growth of its congregation, the church underwent several expansions and reconstructions over time. In 1982, it resumed services and was renamed "Chongwenmen Church." Recognized for its historical significance and architectural value, the church has been designated a national key cultural heritage site. As one of the oldest Protestant churches in Beijing, it has received notable visitors including former U.S. Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as renowned evangelist Billy Graham, and is widely respected both domestically and internationally.
