Located at the eastern entrance of Lumican Hutong, a densely inhabited ancient lane in Dongcheng District, Zhihua Temple was built in 1443. It was originally a family temple built by eunuch Wang Zhen, who was in charge of protocol, of the Ming Dyinasty.

Zhihua TempleOnly six years after the completion of the temple, Wang Zhen was put to death due to court intrigue, and the temple was confiscated and turned into public property.

The architectural pattern strictly follows the shape and structure of ancient Chinese temples. All buildings are grouped along three routes. The central one is in turn divided into the front, middle and back yards.

Preserved in the temple are 10 editions of the Triptaka Sutra dating from the 18th century. The printing blocks were carved at the order of Qing Emperor Qianling, and this set is known as the Tripitaka, Qianlong Edition.

Situated on the inner side of Dongzhi Gate in the east of the city, this temple was originally built by a eunuch of the Ming Dynasty and reconstructed into a nunnery named Tongjiao in the Qing Dyansty.

In 1942, the nuns Kaihui and Shengyu, coming from Fujian to Beijing, collected money to repair and expand the temple, and renamed it Tongjiao Temple.

The expanded Tongjiao Temple covers an area of 2,500 sq m, and includes the entrance gate, Mahavira Hall, Guardian Deity Hall, Patriarch Hall, Guadian Deity Hall, Patriarch Hall, dining-room and monks’ and nuns’ dwellings.

The number of nuns and monks was about 70 at its heyday. Tongjiao Temple has always been known for its strict adherence to monastic rules.

Guanghua Temple (simplified Chinese: 广化寺; traditional Chinese: 廣化寺; pinyin: Guǎnghuā Sì) is a Buddhist temple located at 31 Ya'er Hutong, north of Shichahai in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China.  It is one of Beijing's most renowned Buddhist temples.

Guanghua Temple, built sometime during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), is a prominent Beijing Buddhist temple; the Beijing Buddhist Association is located here as well. It is situated on the north bank of Houhai Lake in the scenic ShichaHai area, near the Yindin Bridge to the east and Madam Song Qingling Mansion to the west. This splendid-looking temple was meticulously built with elaborate carvings and paintings.

Zhushikou, meaning Pearl Market entrance, dates from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) when it was known as Pig Market. When the market closed in the Qing period (1644-1911) the name changed, but the pronunciation didn't. Pigs and pearls are homonyms; the written characters differentiate them.

Construction and expansion of the three-storey Methodist denomination edifice took place several times over a 17-year-period between 1904 and 1921. It was one of the first multiple storey buildings in south Beijing.

One of the unique features of the small church is that during religious services the congregation worships on three different floors simultaneously, linked together by an in-house video system.

The Chongwenmen Church of Beijing Christian Council was first established in 1870 when it was then called Asbury Church. It was the first church constructed by the American Methodist Church in northern China. The scale of this church was smaller than its present size. It was originally designed to hold 400 to 500 people. Although the church appears now as it did back then, its current seating capacity is 2,000 people. As the number of believers increased, the Methodist church began reconstruction of the building, which was completed in 1882. During the Yihetuan Movement (Boxer Rebellion) of 1900, the church was burned down. In 1902, the Qing Dynasty Government appropriated money to rebuild the Asbury Church and was completed in the spring of 1904. This is the main structure we have here today.

The Chongwenmen Church is one of the largest Christian Protestant churches in Beijing, and it enjoys high prestige both at home and abroad. Its architectural style shows grace, ingenuity, and a blend of many cultures. The church consists of two levels. The main level, at 8,245 square meters, is divided into two sections: the main hall that seats 400 people, and the side chapel that seats 300. These two sections are separated by a movable partition so that they can be used separately or as one large room. The second level is the basement, which boasts a seating capacity of 800-1000. Services are filmed and viewed in the basement via closed-circuit television. In 1990, Beijing People's Municipal Government approved the church as a historical relic in the municipal district.

Founded in 1915, Haidian Christian Church has served the community for almost a century. It was the Christians in Qinghua University who first gave donations and purchased six commercial apartments on Haidian South Street. Under the supervision of Rev. Li Benyuan, renovations were completed and the church was named “the Evangelical China Fellowship”. It was on October 6, 1915, that it then started serving the public. Mr. Wang Jishan was the first director of the church. Very soon afterward, the Board of Directors was established in 1918, and Mr. Liu Tingfang served as president of the Board. In the Fall of 1925, the congregational church officially approved that the Evangelical China Fellowship be renamed “Haidian Christian Church”.

In 1930, members of the church initiated a fund raising program, and successfully purchased a piece of neighboring land, Yu-ma-quan. In 1931, the Board of Directors decided to rebuild all the residential buildings and the chapel. The project started on March 9, 1933; the corner stone was set on April 10, and the construction was finished on June 15 in the same year. The entire project cost 4,540 Silver Dollars, and there were about 500 members in the church at that time. 

After the Cultural Revolution, the church was reopened on May 12, 1985, and the church established the Haidian Three-Self Patriotic Committee Group (TSPCG). Ten people were selected from the church to be the members of the group and Rev. Yu Xin-lin became its director. Four teams were set up – namely the Church Ministry, Administration Team, Foreign Affairs Team, and the Visitation Team. Each team had separate rules and regulations. By this time the church had grown to more than 600 people. 

In 1994, Rev. Qi Tianying became the Senior Pastor of Haidian Christian Church (HCC). In 1996, registration of family gathering locations for the Government was completed. From the time of the establishment of the national Three-self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) in 1950, “Love your country and love your Church; Glorify God and serve the people” was the motto and the ultimate goal of HCC. 

From 2001 till today, Rev. Wu Weiqing has been serving HCC as the Senior Pastor. Starting from the solid historic foundation of HCC, different regulations and ministries have been effectively carried out, and the membership of HCC has climbed to over 3,000. 

After SARS in 2003, HCC was moved to the Haidian Book City area as a temporary location for four years. During this period, church members kept praying for the new church location. Finally, HCC received donations of about 5 million RMB in total. 

On August 1, 2005, the Foundation Laying Ceremony of HCC’s new building was held. The construction work was a great testimony of God’s love working through the support of the local government, and through the devotion and perseverant spirit of God’s servants and church members. On May 31. 2007, HCC held the Inauguration Ceremony in the current location, and worship services have been held each Sunday in this location ever since then.  

Dongjiaomin Alley Catholic Church is more commonly known as St. Michael’s Church. It was built in 1901 within the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Qing Dynasty. Dongjiaomin Alley used to be a famous gathering area for foreigners during Qing Dynasty as most of the embassies were situated here, that’s why it was selected as the best location for the construction of the church. It was built especially for the convenience of foreigners who residing here on the first place.

The whole architecture of the building displays a typical Gothic style with three main peaked spires and several spire ornaments beautifully complimenting each other. Besides that, it is wells known for its beautiful stained glass windows as well. The church served firstly as the place of Christian worship for the French community of Beijing before 1949. Anyway, the church was closed in 1958 and did not reopen again until 1989.

Xizhimen Catholic Church or better known as Xitang (West Church) by the locals is newest church among the four oldest churches in Beijing. As the first non-Jesuit church in Beijing, the Xizhimen Catholic Church was first established by Teodorico Pedrini, an Italian Lazarist missionary in year 1723. The original building had been destroyed in 1811 and then rebuilt in 1867. However, the church encountered serious destruction once again during Boxer Rebellion. Later, the church was again restored in 1912. The church is well known for its delicate Collins pillars and Gothic styled peak arches which create a grand, elegant and solemn impression upon visitors.

Xishiku Cathedral (or Beitang, “North Church” in Chinese, as it is also known), located in Xicheng District, is the grandest and most ornate church in Beijing. It is a cathedral belonging to the Catholic denomination and is currently the location of the Beijing Cardinal Bishop Office. It is affiliated to the Patriotic Catholic Church of China, a body with several major differences to the official Roman Catholic Church.

The church was originally built by the Jesuits (a Catholic order) in 1703 near Zhongnanhai, on land granted to them by the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1910) after he had been successfully treated for a serious illness by the Jesuits. The calligraphic couplets and plaque located at the cathedral door were written by the emperor himself.

In 1887 the cathedral was moved to its present location as the Emperor Guangxu wished to build a park at Zhongnanhai, an area now used as the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and formerly home to leading Communists like Chairman Mao, Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai. The cathedral was redesigned by Bishop Pierre Favier in a Gothic style with a marble facade. Bishop Favier is also famed for successfully defending the cathedral and over 3000 Chinese Catholic converts from 10,000 Boxers, who had besieged it during the Boxer Uprising in 1900.

Wangfujing Catholic Church, known as the Eastern Church, is located on famous Wangfujing Avenue in Beijing. It was first established in 1655. Originally an apartment for two foreign priests during Emperor Shunzhi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the priests subsequently built a small church on the open ground. Later several earthquakes and wars gradually destroyed the church. It was rebuilt in 1904. After the 1980 restoration in 1980, the church reopened. Because of its geographic location, the Eastern Church faces west. It follows the Romanesque style of architecture, with strong pilasters and one high and two low vaults displaying a grandiose architectural style.