The Union Church

Overview of Heritage Site

Level of Protection of Immovable Cultural Heritage	[Major National-level Protected Historical and Cultural Sites] Batch No.8

Level of Protection of Historic Building	[Major Protected Historic Buildings] A6-30

Category	Significant Modern and Contemporary Site and Representative Architecture

Address	60-1 Fujian Road

Time	1863

Conservation Area of Immovable Cultural Heritage	To Lujiao Road in the east; to the conservation line of the Catholic Church in the south; to the exterior walls of the neighboring buildings in the west and the north.

Introduction to Heritage Site

Following the First Opium War, foreign Christian missionaries arrived Xiamen. To begin with, as the population was small, no formal Christian churches were built on the islet, apart from a small chapel exclusively for foreigners. The Union Church was built in 1863 by the “Three Societies” consisting of the American Reformed Church, the London Missionary Society and the British Presbyterian Church. It was the first consecrated chapel on Kulangsu to enable foreigners working on the islet to attend religious services in English. In due course, Chinese people who knew English were also welcomed.
The church is built classical revival style, on a rectangular plan. The altar is at the west end, with the entrance fa?ade facing east. The portico consists of four huge Tuscan pillars supporting a large triangular pediment. The Xiamen You’g Men's Christian Association was founded here in 1912.
Gone through renovation in 1911 and 2010, it has been kept in a good state of preserved. The Union Church was the earliest church built on Kulangsu, and was deeply involved in the spread of the western culture, as represented by Christianity and its religious activities, on Kulangsu, together with changes to the thinking and culture of Chinese people under the influence of foreign cultures.