Founded in 1860, St. John's Church of Fuzhou is located in Lequn Street No.9, Cangshan District, Fuzhou, Fujian. The Gothic-style church was donated by British people living in Fuzhou and only made of stones. At that time the majority of the congregation were Christians from Britain and other western and American countries attended services there for the foreigners resided in Lequn Street.
In 1906, it belonged to Fujian Diocese of Anglican-Episcopal Province of China. In 1950 it became a member of Fujian TSPM when the Anglican church in China departed from the Church of English and joined in TSPM, renamed as "Stone House Church" or "Shichuo Church".
During the Cultural Revolution, it was occupied by a military unit as a printing factory, and some memorials inside were destroyed. In 1992 it was listed as one of the "Historical Protection Sites" by the local government and went through simple maintenance. However, it remained closed after the repair.
As time went on, it turns desolated and is in desperate need of repair. It is said that the church property has been not given back despite that the government returned the property right to the church in 1989. Currently, it reappears in public as the government is reconstructing the historic and cultural area of Mount Yantai where the church stands.
Meanwhile, many Christians hope that it can be reopened for services.
Translated by Karen Luo
