“Hall of the Only Respected” once stood proudly. We are standing before what was once Jingyi Church. This church holds a unique place in Shanghai’s history. It has been a residence, a church, a temple, and a school.
Jingyi Church started as a private residence in 1553. Pan Yunduan a governor of Sichuan built it for his father. It was initially named Ever-Spring Hall. The famous Yu Garden was also built by Pan Yunduan for his father in the same complex.
The Pan family’s decline led to the hall’s sale to the Fan family. Then, in 1640, Martina Pan, granddaughter of Xu Guangqi, bought the building. Xu Guangqi was an influential Shanghai Catholic convert. She gave it to Father Francesco Brancati an Italian Jesuit missionary. The building became a church. Its name changed to Jingyi Church, meaning “Hall of the Only Respected”. It was also known as The Church of the Savior in English.
At that time men and women had separate mass services. Women attended the Church of Our Lady near Xujiazui. An astronomical observation hall was added. Jingyi Church became a center for Catholicism in Shanghai.
In 1665 Christianity faced attacks. Father Brancati left for Guangzhou after 28 years in Shanghai. The building became an office for coastal defense official Dong Caogao. In 1671, the ban was lifted and the Jesuits returned.
However, in 1724, the Yongzheng Emperor banned Catholicism again. In 1731, the church was confiscated. It became a Taoist temple dedicated to the god of war Guan Yu. In 1748, the Shenjiang Academy was built nearby.
Christianity was legalized again in 1844 after the Opium War. An edict called for the return of confiscated church lands. But properties converted into temples were excluded. It wasn’t until 1860 under the Treaty of Tianjin that the church was returned. The war god temple moved. The Shenjiang Academy moved east. The academy’s old buildings became St. Berchmans school a Catholic school.
In 1938, Shangzhi primary school was established on the site. The church had about 600 parishioners then. Religious activities ceased in 1950 after the Communist Revolution. The school was renamed Wutong Road Primary School in 1953. The main church hall became a gymnasium.
In 1959, the Jingyi Church building became a Cultural Heritage site in Shanghai. It was removed in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution. The title was restored on May 18, 1981. It served as the primary school gymnasium until the late 1990s. Now, it stands unused bearing silent witness to Shanghai’s ever-changing story. This building has seen so many changes. It has been at the center of religious and cultural shifts. It is more than just bricks and mortar. It is a symbol of Shanghai’s complex past.