8,921
edits
Changes
2013;
*2010 On 11 April, St. Thomas Sunday, Fr. [[Michael (Wang) Quansheng|Michael Wang Quansheng]], who lives in retirement in Shanghai, celebrated the [[Divine Liturgy]] at the Church of the Protecting Veil in Harbin for the Orthodox community, with the permission of the state authorities; during the XI session of the intergovernmental Russian-Chinese committee on humanitarian cooperation in St. Petersburg, Russian Prime Minister V. Putin gave Premier Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China the gift album ''"Orthodoxy in China",'' dedicated to 325th anniversary of the Orthodox presence in China.<ref group="note">This publication was prepared by the Department for External Church Relations (DECR), in cooperation with the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, and with the support of the Russian-Chinese Business Council. ''"Orthodoxy in China"'' is a scientific publication in the Russian and Chinese languages, with rich illustrative material, published on a high polygraph level. The book discusses the development of cultural, economic and political ties between the two brotherly peoples, the long history of Orthodoxy in China, and the contribution that the Russian Orthodox Church has made in establishing and developing good-neighborly relations between Russia and China. (''[http://orthodox.cn/news/20101125book_en.htm The book "Orthodoxy in China" awarded to senior officials of China].'' Orthodox.cn. November 25, 2010.)</ref>
*2011 Abp. [[Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk]], head of the DECR, stated that China has up to 15,000 Orthodox believers who live in Beijing, Shanghai, Heilongjiang Province, and the autonomous districts Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, however the Chinese Orthodox Church has only two Chinese priests aged over 80.<ref>Interfax-Religion. ''[http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8286 Up to 15 thsd Orthodox believers live in China].'' 16 March 2011, 15:51.</ref>
*2013 Patriarch Patr. [[Kyrill (Gundyayev) of Moscow|Kirill of Moscow and All Russia]] conducted an official visit to China from May 10 to 15, 2013, the first visit in history of a Primate of the Russian Church to China, by invitation of the country’s secular leadership.;<ref>Maria Senchukova. ''[http://www.pravmir.com/the-patriarchal-visit-to-china-an-interview-with-fr-dionisy-pozdnyaev/ The Patriarchal Visit to China: An Interview with Fr. Dionisy Pozdnyaev].'' Pravmir.com. May 16th, 2013.</ref> in Moscow, Patr. [[Kyrill (Gundyayev) of Moscow|Kirill of Moscow and All Russia]] met with a delegation of monks from the Shaolin Monastery in China, headed by the vice president of the Chinese Buddhist Association Shi Yongxin, after first meeting Shi Yongxin on a visit to China in May.<ref>Maxim Blinov. ''[http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130905/183184308/Russians-Can-Learn-From-Chinese-Warrior-Monks--Church-Leader.html Russians Can Learn From Chinese Warrior Monks – Church Leader].'' '''RIA Novosti'''. September 5, 2013.</ref>
==Presence of Orthodox Communities in China==
