A century-old street market sprung up and moved along with a church in north China’s He’nan Province.
In Dongguan Village, Lingbao City, Sanmenxia, He’nan, a road in front of Gospel Church was occupied by stalls selling snacks, clothes, local products, and groceries before 2014, stretching east to west for several kilometers.
After a Swedish missionary Bao Yaoyuan (Chinese name) came to Lingbao to evangelize in 1919, another Swedish pastor Ren Dongcheng (Chinese name) took over the ministry, purchasing a plot of land of 0.41 acres to build a church, shop, and herbal medicine shop, which was the predecessor of Gospel Church in Dongguan Village.
With the number of worshippers gradually increasing, in front of the church believers from the surrounding villages after Sunday services sold their own products, including vegetables, eggs, and woven fabric. They sold them in exchange for money and salt on Xinhua Road which was the main road in the city, so buses and taxis had to detour every Sunday.
Initiated by church members, the fair developed based on the barter economy and market demand, retaining intangible cultural heritage at the border of He’nan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi Provinces.
After Tian’en Church was built in 2013 near Jinshuihu Lake in Lingbao, the Dongguan fair was transferred to the front of this new church according to the order of the government.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
