St. Joseph's Church, commonly known asWangfujingChurch or Dongtang, is an early 20th-century Romanesque Revival church that is one of the four historic Catholic churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Beijing. It was the second Catholic Church which was built only after the South Church. It was originally named after Joseph, the father of Jesus Christ, as ‘Saint Joseph's Church’ After several restorations in recent years, it has become not only an important venue of Catholics, but also a cultural site with unique features in the Wangfujing Area. The construction of the church was finished in 1655 by Jesuit missionaries. Due to renovations and reconstruction, the current structure dates back to 1904. The church is the second oldest in Beijing after the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The congregation was first established in 1653 by Father Lodovico Buglio, an Italian Jesuit astronomer and theologian who worked as a missionary to China. The land the first church building was constructed on was donated to the religious order by the Shunzhi Emperor. At the time, the Jesuits were the only group of people from Europe given permission to reside in the capital city, on account of their insight into astronomy. As a result, the church also served as the residence of Buglio and another fellow Jesuit priest.

The church underwent an extremely turbulent history. An earthquake which struck Beijing in 1720 damaged the building. Approximately ninety years later, the church building was obliterated by fire and the remnants that survived were destroyed as a result of the government's anti-Western sentiments and policies. The site remained barren until 1860, when British and French forces invaded Beijing as part of the Second Opium War. Thereafter, foreign missionaries, who were once again allowed into the capital, rebuilt St. Joseph's. However, anti-foreign sentiment never faded away and arose once again at the turn of the century, culminating in the Boxer Rebellion. At the height of the uprising in 1900, the church building was "burned to the ground".

In 1905, France and Ireland jointly rebuilt the church we see now. The restored East Church and its surroundings have formed the largest outdoor leisure space in the commercial street of Wangfujing Area.

The Catholic Church is situated in the middle of the East Church, facing the west. The church sits on a bluestone base. There are three crosses on the top, among which the middle one is bigger than the side ones. The hall is supported by 18 round brick columns. The diameter of each column is 65 cm (2 feet) and the base of each column is square. On both sides of the hall hang many oil paintings like Crucifixion of Jesus or Passion of the Christ. Besides, many precious religious paintings drawn by Giuseppe Castiglione are preserved.

The square in front of the church, covering over 8,000 square meters (86,000 square feet), is now completed. The square is surrounded by trees and on both sides there are benches for pedestrians. Now, it is not only a convenient mass center for the catholic, but also a place for visitors to explore the religious culture and even a popular scene for some youths in Beijing to take wedding photos.

Mass Times: Weekdays 06:30 & 07:00 (Chinese), Saturday 06:30 & 07:00 (Chinese), Sunday 06:15 (Latin), 07:00 & 08:00 (Chinese)

Transportation:

1.Take Bus 103, 102, 104, 803, 814, 808 and get off at Dong’anmen Market, then head north about 300 meters.

2. Take Subway Line 5 and get down at the Dengshikou, then head toward Cypress Hutong for about 300 meters.

Source: travelchinaguide