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Q: how about the Christianity in China?

A: Christianity (Nestorian) arrived in China as early as the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). The term Christianity often connotes Protestantism, with Catholicism being considered a different religion rather than a different tradition.

Today China has respect for the freedom of religious belief and allows the independent running of religious affairs.

In history, the fortunes of Christianity have waxed and waned. As a consequence of the Opium War (1839-42), the Qing government was forced to accept terms that made Christianity legal in China.

After the founding of People's Republic of China in 1949, Christianity gradually removed its foreign tag and became an acceptable and independent Chinese institution. Today it has a firm root in contemporary Chinese culture.

Q: what are the most famous churches in Beijing?

A:

1. Chongwenmen Protestant Church

Address: D2 Hougou Hutong, Chongwen District (in the hutong beside Tongren Hospital)

Tel: +86 10 6513 3549, 6522 9984

Opening hours: 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. 

2. Church of the Immaculate Conception (Nantang and Xuanwumentang)

Address: 141 Qianmenxi Dajie, Xuanwu District

Tel: +86 10 6603 7139

Opening hours: 6 a.m.-9 a.m. (3 hours for each day)

3. Zhushikou Protestant Church

Address: 129 Qianmennan Dajie, Chongwen District (at the Liangguang Dajie and Qianmen Dajie crossroads)

Tel: +86 10 6301 6678

4. Kuanjie Protestant Church

Address: 51 Di'anmendong Dajie, Dongcheng District (at the Di'anmendong Dajie and Kuanjie crossroads)

Tel: +86 10 8403 9432

5. Church of St. Joseph (Dongtang and Wangfujingtang)

Address: 74 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District

Tel: +86 10 6524 0634

Opening hours: 5 a.m.-11 a.m.

6. Church of Our Saviour (Beitang and Xishikutang)

Address: 33 Xishiku, Xicheng District

Tel: +86 10 6617 5198

Q: how about the Islam in China?

A: Islam is a religion with more than 1,400 million believers worldwide and has prospered throughout history in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Indonesia. Islam arrived in China during the Tang and Song dynasties (618 BC-AD 1279) through trade links.

From the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Islam became an independent religion in China, and many of its followers came from ethnic groups in Xinjiang Province.

There are now more than 100 million Chinese Muslims, many living in the deserts of Xiangchan and the more fertile regions of mid and eastern China.

Q: what are the most celebrated mosques in Beijing?

A: There are more than 40 mosques in Beijing that are open to the public. The following are the most famous ones:

1. Niu Jie Mosque

Niu Jie, or Ox Street Mosque, is the oldest mosque in Beijing and enjoys great reputation among Muslims of all persuasions and nationalities. It is a striking mosque and definitely worth a visit. According to legend, an ancient imam lives in the catacombs beneath the mosque and if non-believers should attempt to enter its prayer hall, he will pop up and send the "heretic to Allah" by perforating them with small steel balls!

Address: 88 Niu Jie, Xuanwu District

Tel: +86 10 6353 2564

Opening hours: 5:10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Buses/Subway: 6, 10, 50, 53, 61, 109

2. Dongsi Mosque

Built in 1447 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it combines Chinese and Arabic styles like the Niujie Mosque. The mosque's library houses valuable manuscripts of the Koran, the Hadith, Islamic law and other works of Islamic philosophy, history and literature published in Egypt, India, Turkey and Pakistan. Three services are held at dawn, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily. The site is also the Headquarters of the Beijing branch of China Islamism Association.

Address: 13 Dongsi Nandajie, Dongcheng District

Tel: +86 10 6525 7824

Opening hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Bus/Subway: 106, 108, 110, 116