Da Qin Monastery

This pagoda is China's oldest-known Christian structure. The other buildings in this ancient compound were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but this leaning tower remains as a tribute to the lives of Christians in China for the past 1300 years. The Nestorian Stele (the black stone rising from the turtle below) was inscribed in the mid to late 700s (AD) to commemorate the opening of a Christian seminary and the pagoda you see here. The Stele also highlights the good relationship these early Believers had with China's leadership--one of the most open minded and thus prosperous in China's 5000-year history. Today, the current government has restored this landmark in recognition of its important international historical significance. You can find out a lot more by searching the web (e.g., look for "Da Qin" and "Nestorian" and you'll find lots of cool info!) (By the way, this is a replica of the Stele--but you can see a photo of the real thing by clicking here.)

The painting on the right was created by a good friend, Mr. Niu Guang Xian (with me in the photo below left), who lives in Xi'an. He was 84 in 2005 when he painted this for me. He was a few years younger in 1997 when he took the photo on the right below. At the time, he was acting as translator for this important delegation of Chinese and "Nestorian" (also called "The Church of the East") brethren.

(There is a "search" box on the home page)			HOME	Site map	(To search within any page, type "ctrl + f")
Current Update & how to contact us	Resources for students & teachers	Links for English Learners	EFL Movie Study Guides	Better Writing Study Guide	Our Students photos	Photo Index	South Carolina & USA photos
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)	Favorite Links	Things We've Written (articles)	Introduction to China	Life in China photos	Music Page & mp3 downloads	Archive Index	Real World Writing (my textbook)