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{{Orthodoxyinasia}}The '''Chinese Orthodox Church''' was an [[autonomy|autonomous]] Orthodox church in China. Before the Cultural Revolution it It is estimated as having had twenty thousand membersbefore the Cultural Revolution.
==Russian missionThe beginnings of Chinese Christianity==A mission from the [[Introduction to Orthodox Christianity|Christianity]] was first introduced to China via an [[Assyrian Church of the East|Assyrian]] arrived mission in China in 635, and is commemorated in the [[Nestorianism|Nestorian ]] Stele of Xi'an.
[[Orthodoxy ]] arrived in China, via Siberia, in 1685. In that year, the Kangxi Emperor resettled the inhabitants of the Russian [[Russia]]n border towns he had captured in China. [[Maxim Leontiev]], a [[priest]] who went with them, dedicated the first Orthodox church in Beijing. In the first century-and-a-half of its presence in China, the church did not attract a large following. It is said that in 1860 there were not more than 200 Orthodox in Beijing, including the descendants of the naturalized Russians.
In the second half of the 19th century, however, the Orthodox Church made bigger strides. The [[Russian Orthodox Mission in China|Spiritual Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church ]] in Beijing was blessed with scholarly and religious clergy. Numerous translations into Chinese of religious publications were made.
The mission published four volumes of research in Chinese studies in the 1850s and 60s. Two clerics became well-known for scholarship in the subject, Father Yakiuf [[Iakinf (Bichurin) of Beijing|Iakinf Bichurin]], and the [[Archimandrite]] Palladius[[Pallady (Kafarov) of Beijing|Pallady]], who also compiled a "very valuable" dictionary.
The Boxer (Yihetuan Movement) Rebellion of 1898-1900, an anti-Western and anti-missionary uprising in China, saw violent attacks on Chinese converts to Christianity. The Orthodox Chinese were among those put to the sword, and in June every year the 222 Chinese Orthodox, including Father [[MitrophanJi]], who died for their faith in 1900 are commemorated during the upheavals as remembered on the [[icon ]] of the [[Holy Martyrs of China]]. In spite of the uprising, by 1902 there were 32 Orthodox churches in China with close to 6,000 adherents. The church also ran schools and orphanages.
===Leaders of the Russian Mission===
*Father [[Maxim LeontieffLeontiev]], 1685-1712.*Archimandrite [[Ilarion (Lezhaisky)]] 1715-1717. *Archimandrite Antony (Platkovsky) 1729-1735. *Archimandrite Illarion (Trusov) 1736-1745. *Archimandrite Gervasy (Lintsevsky) 1745-1755. *Archimandrite [[Ambrose (UmatoffUmatov)]], 1755-1771.*Archimandrite Peter Nikolai (Tsvet) 1771-1781. *Archimandrite Ioakim (KamenskyShishkovsky), 18201781-18301794.*Archimandrite Policarp Sofrony (TougarinoffGribovsky), 18401794-18491807.*Archimandrite Ioakinf [[Iakinf (BichorinBichurin)of Beijing|Iakinf (Bichurin)]], 1806-1821.*Father Daniel SiviloffArchimandrite [[Peter (Kamensky)]], 18201821-1830.*Father Avvakum Chestnoy, Hieromonk Benjamin (Morachevich) 1830-1840).*Archimandrite [[Policarp (Tougarinov)]], 1840-1849.*Archimandrite [[Pallady (KaffaroffKafarov)of Beijing|Pallady (Kafarov)]], 18491850-1859 1858 and 18641865-1878.*Archimandrite [[Gury (KarpoffKarpov)]], 1858-1864.*Father Archimandrite [[Flavian(Gorodetsky) of Kiev and Galich|Flavian (Gorodetsky)]], 18781879-18841883.*Archimandrite [[Amfilochy (Loutovinoff)]], 18831884-1896.*Metropolitan [[Innocent (FigourovskyFigurovsky) of Beijing|Innocent (FigourovskyFigurovsky) of Beijing and All-China]]. Archimandrite 1897-1901, Bishop of Beijing 1902-1921, Archbishop of Beijing and All-China 1922-1928, Metropolitan 1928-1931.*Archbishop [[Simon (Vinogradov)of Beijing|Simon (Vinogradov)]], 19281931-1933.*Archbishop [[Victor (Svyatin) of Krasnodar and Kuban|Victor (Svjatin) of Beijing]]. Bishop of Shanghai 1928-1933, Bishop of Beijing and All-China 1933-1938, Archbishop 1938-1956.*Saint [[John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai|John (Maximovitch)]], Bishop of Shanghai 1934-~1946, Archbishop ~1946-1949.
===Episcopacy of the Autonomous Chinese Orthodox Church===
*Bishop [[Vasily (Shuan) of Beijing|Vasily (Shuan)]] of Beijing and All-China, 1956-1962.
*Bishop [[Symeon (Du) of Shanghai|Symeon (Du)]] of Shanghai, 19511950-1960's1965.
==Orthodoxy Today==
The government of the People's Republic of China extends official recognition to five religions communities (Protestantism: [[Buddhism]], [[Catholicism]], [[Islam]], [[Protestantism]], and [[Taoism]], and Buddhism) but not to Orthodox Christianity. The major political obstacle is the government's fear that external political forces from outside nations—— in this case, primarily Russia—— could achieve influence within China.
Several Orthodox congregations, mainly of elderly individuals, continue to meet in Beijing and northeast China (in including Heilongjiang and elsewhere), with, apparently, the tacit consent of the government. As of 2005 there was one priest; however, a number of Chinese nationals are currently studying in Orthodox [[seminary|seminaries]] in Russia, with the intent of returning to China to serve in priestly [[priest]]ly ministry.
Meanwhile, as of the early 21st century, the church operates freely in Hong Kong (, where the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] has sent Metr. established the [[Nikitas (Lulias) Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong|Nikitas (Lulias)and Southeast Asia]](OMHKSEA) ; and [[Orthodoxy in Taiwan (|Taiwan]], where rival mission churches representing OMHKSEA and the [[HieromonkRussian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] [[Jonah (MourtosROCOR)]] leads exist. In December 2007, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided at its winter session to open a mission churchdepartment concerned with the Chinese Orthodox Autonomous Church (COAC), stressing the need to continue efforts taken by its Department for External Church Relations in the dialogue with the Chinese authorities to normalize the situation of the Orthodox Church in China.{{ref|1}}
==Nominally Orthodox minorities in China==
Although many of them have adopted Lamaism, which is the mainstream form of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, the Evenkis of both the Russian Federation Russia and the People's Republic of China are a nominally Orthodox Christian people. Along with their Even cousins and a few other tribes in Siberia or in China, they are some of the only Asiatic peoples who nominally practice Orthodox Christianity, which they had voluntarily (as opposed to being coerced to do so) adopted during contacts from Russian expansion into Siberia. There are also around 3,000 Evenks in neighbouring Heilongjiang Province.
Orthodox Christianity is also practiced by the ethnic Russian minority in China.
{{churches}}
==See also==
*[[Russian Orthodox Mission in China]]
*[[Holy Martyrs of China]]
*[[Timeline of Orthodoxy in China]]
*[[Orthodoxy in Taiwan]]
==Further Reading==
* Baker, Dr. Kevin. [http://www.mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=6574&pc=9 A History of the Orthodox Church in China, Korea and Japan]. The Edwin Mellen Press, 2006. 288 pp.
: (ISBN 0-7734-5886-7; ISBN 978-0-7734-5886-4)
* (Christensen), Hieromonk Damascene, Lou Shibai, You-Shan Tang. [http://books.google.com/books?id=3QV5AAAAMAAJ&pgis=1 Christ the Eternal Tao]. Valaam Books, Platina, California, 1999. 554 pp. (ISBN 0938635859; ISBN 9780938635857)
* Doubrovskaia, Dina V. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=vEZI_ULqp7EC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=%22Sophia%22+AND+%22Nikolskii+church%22&source=bl&ots=psj3iv2BZA&sig=RPrM4cmayYM7JPJPckaSbXiXYxE&hl=en&ei=lMXzSaTGFI-eMp3Hka4P&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#PPA163,M1 The Russian Orthodox Church in China]''. In: Stephen Uhalley and Xiaoxin Wu, '''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=vEZI_ULqp7EC China and Christianity: Burdened Past, Hopeful Future]'''. M.E. Sharpe, 2001. 499 pp. (pp.163-176). (ISBN 0765606615; ISBN 9780765606617)
* Sui, Zhang (张绥) (1943- ). [http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an15614849 The Orthodox Church and Orthodox Church in China] (东正教和东正教在中国).
:Shanghai: Xuelin Publishing House (上海 : 學林出版社 : 新華書店上海发行所发行), 1986. 345 pp.
:''(In Chinese; Available through the National Library of Australia, [http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an15614849 here].)''
* (Velimirović), St. Nikolaj (Свети Владика Николаj Велимирович). [http://orthodox.cn/saints/nikolaivelimirovich/1934-38littlemissionary_en.htm The Chinese Martyrs] (Китаjски Мученици). Little Missionary (Мали Мисионар), 1934-1938. pp 33-40.
:''(In original Serbian [http://orthodox.cn/saints/nikolaivelimirovich/1934-38littlemissionary_sr.htm here].)''
* Widmer, Eric. [http://books.google.ca/books?id=3ZjnRS1g6zkC The Russian ecclesiastical mission in Peking during the eighteenth century]. Harvard Univ Asia Center, 1976. 262 pp. (ISBN 0674781295; ISBN 9780674781290)
==External links==
* [http://www.orthodox.cn/index_en.html Orthodoxy in China]*[http://prologue.orthodox.cn/ Chinese Orthodox Translation Page]* http://www.chinese.orthodoxy.ru/main.htm* http://www.saintjonah.org/services/chinese.htm* http://www.usbaltic.org/Goble/Goble42.htm* http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles5/MayerChina.shtml* http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041027-035919-6014r.htm* http://www.cs.ust.hk/faculty/dimitris/metro/orth_china.html* http://www.orthodox-christian-comment.co.uk/news-orthodoxy_in_china.htm* http://aggreen.net/autocephaly/russia.html* http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/bookrev_woerl.aspx* http://www.orthodoxnews.netfirms.com/134/Beijing.htm* http://www.stvladimiraami.org/clergyupdate.asp* http://prologue.orthodox.cn/* http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/christ/east/occhi.html* http://www.orthodox-christian-comment.co.uk/news-orthodoxy_in_china.htm* http://www.omhksea.org* http://edu.sina.com.cn/en/2005-07-14/200933859.html*{{note|1}} http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4123
[[Category:Jurisdictions|China]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in China]]
[[fr:Église de Chine (Patriarcat de Moscou)]]
[[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă a Chinei]]