The Cross Temple is a former place of worship in Fangshan, Beijing. Buddhists and early Chinese Christians used the temple during different periods. Originally built as a Buddhist temple, some scholars hypothesise that it saw Christian use during the Tang dynasty (618–907). The temple was used by Buddhists during the Liao dynasty (916–1125) and by Christians during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). It returned to Buddhist use during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), before being sold in 1911. It was first recorded in modern scholarship in 1919, damaged during the Cultural Revolution, and re-established as a national-level protected site in 2006. Some scholars consider it to be the only place of worship of the Church of the East discovered in China.
A Yuan-era stele in the ruins of the Cross Temple. Another stele (left) and some scattered groundwork (right) are visible in the background.
Reginald Johnston rediscovered the Cross Temple in the summer of 1919.
A marker near the ruins indicating their official status as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
The top of the Yuan stele, featuring an inscription of a cross surrounded by dragons
Fangshan District is a district of the city of Beijing. It is situated in the southwest of Beijing, 38 km (24 mi) away from downtown Beijing. It has an area of 2,019 square kilometres (780 sq mi) and a population of 1,312,778. The district is divided into 8 subdistricts, 14 towns, and 6 townships.
Yanshan Petrochemical Plant
The rugged karst landscape at Shidu.
Liao Dynasty (907−1125) furniture excavated from an underground palace in Fangshan District of Beijing
Chinese stone inscription of a Nestorian Christian Cross from a monastery of Fangshan District in Beijing (then called Dadu, or Khanbaliq), dated to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) of medieval China.
