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*'''1698''' Consecration of the first Orthodox church, in the name of ''Hagia Sophia'', or Divine Wisdom, in Beijing, recognized by Ignatius, [[Metropolitan]] of Tobolsk; on this auspicious occasion many Chinese received [[Baptism|Holy Baptism]], and thus the consecration of the first Orthodox Church coincided with the introduction of Orthodoxy among the Chinese.
*1700 [[w:Peter I of Russia|Peter the Great]] published an ''Ukase'' (edict) on [[June 18|June 18th]] that made a resounding appeal for the propagation of the faith in Siberia and China.
*1702 In response to the Ukase of 1700, [[Philothei (Leschinsky)]] of Kiev is chosen as Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia (1702-1711), long since a center of [[missionary ]] operations, in order to ''"lead the natives in China and Siberia to the service of the true and living God"''; he built 37 churches and personally accounted for the baptism of 40,000 Siberian tribesmen by 1721 .
*1712 Death of Fr. [[Maxim Leontiev]]; Emperor Kangxi gives permission through the [[w:Lifan yuan|Lifan yuan]] (''Office of Border Affairs'') for several new priests to come in China.
*1830 Hieromonk Veniamin (Morachevich) arrives in Beijing as head of the '''eleventh Mission''' (1830-40).
*1835 The [http://www.orthodox.cn/bible/manchu/index.html Manchu New Testament] was published, translated by Stepan Vaciliyevich Lipovtsov (1770-1841) who learned Manchu after journeying to Beijing in 1794 as a member of the eighth Russian Ecclesiastical Mission.
*1839 In September, persecutions against Christians broke out in [[w:Hubei|Hou-Pé]].
*1839-42 First Opium War; Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain from China as part of the concessions from the Opium War.
*1840 Archimandrite Policarp (Tugarinov) arrives in Beijing as head of the '''twelfth Mission''' (1840-49).
*1858 Archimandrite [[Gury (Karpov)]] arrives in Beijing as head of the '''fourteenth Mission''' (1858-64); the status of the mission changed after the [[w:Treaties of Tianjin|Treaty of Tianjin]] in that its diplomatic activities on behalf of Russia became obsolete; the treaty also allowed missionaries to leave Beijing for other provinces of the country, having a positive impact on the activity of the Beijing mission; the Russian-Chinese [[w:Treaty of Aigun|Treaty of Aigun]] established much of the modern border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China ([[w:Manchuria|Manchuria]]), its provisions being confirmed by the [[w:Convention of Peking|Treath of Peking]] in 1860, reversing the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) by ceding parts of [[w:Outer Manchuria|Outer Manchuria]] to the Russian Empire.
*1858-71 Hieromonk [[Isaiah (Polikin)]] arrives in Beijing, becoming a tireless preacher and gifted administrator (1858-71), organizing parishes south of Beijing and leaving behind an array of Chinese language texts.<ref group="note">The Book of Hours (almost complete), Short Notebook of Paschal Services, the basic chants of the Twelve Feasts and the first week of Lent as well as the Bright Week and Pascha, the Psalter (translated from the Greek into the vernacular), the Paraclesis Service, the Akathist to the Mother of God, the beginning of the Service Book, the Panachida Service, the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete (both in classical language and vernacular), Russian-Chinese Dictionary of Theological and Ecclesiastical Terms. The enormous amount of work undertaken took its toll in the quality of some of the translations, which (as was discovered later) were abundant with imprecision. (Ν. Α. [Hieromonk Nikolai (Adoratsky)]. ''The present state and the contemporary activity of the Orthodox Spiritual Mission in China'' // The Orthodox Collocutor. Kazan, 1884. August. Pg. 378).</ref>
*1860 About 150 [[missionaries ]] worked in the mission, although it is estimated that there were not more than 200 Orthodox in Beijing, including the descendants of naturalized Russians; after the [[w:Convention of Peking|Treaty of Peking]] other countries as well as Russia were allowed to open diplomatic embassies; the old Russian presence in Beijing became known as the Northern Yard (''Beiguan'' - reserved for the Russian Orthodox priests), and a Southern Yard (''Nannguan'') was established for the Ambassador, both remaining important.
*1864 Archimandrite [[Gury (Karpov)]] completes translation of the [[New Testament]] and church services into Chinese; the proper foundation of the mission was completed when it was separated from Russian politics, and in 1864 answered directly to the Holy Synod only.
*1865 Archimandrite [[Pallady (Kafarov) of Beijing|Pallady (Kafarov)]] returns in Beijing as head of the '''fifteenth Mission''' (1865-78), translating more works into Chinese including the ''Book of Psalms'' and ''Book of Services''.
[[Image:Saint Sophia - Harbin, China.jpg|right|thumb|[[St. Sophia Cathedral (Harbin, China)|St. Sophia Cathedral]] (Harbin, China), largest Orthodox church in the far east.]]
[[Image:Jonah of Manchuria.JPG|right|thumb|St. [[Jonah of Manchuria]], Bishop of Hankou (1922-1925).]]
*1896 Archimandrite [[Innocent (Figurovsky) of Beijing|Innocent (Figurovsky)]] arrives in Beijing as head of the '''eighteenth Mission''' (1896-1931), spearheading many modern Chinese translations of Orthodox liturgical and catechetical books, and setting a more [[missionary ]] spirit, revitalizing the mission; he established a monastery, instituted daily services in Chinese, and dispatched preachers to the lands outside Beijing to spread the Gospel.
*1898 The modern city of [[w:Harbin|Harbin]] is founded, with the start of the construction of the [[w:Chinese Eastern Railway|Chinese Eastern Railway]] by Russia (an extension of the Trans-Siberian Railway), eventually becoming a major centre of [[w:White movement|White Russian]] émigrés, and Imperial Russia’s only colony; 200th anniversary of the consecration of the first Orthodox church in China.
*1900 Yihetuan (Boxer) revolt, an anti-Western and anti-missionary uprising in China, results in destruction of Orthodox Mission and death of [[Martyrs of China|222 Chinese Orthodox martyrs]]; the Guan Miao area where the Albazine community lived was laid to rubble, including destruction of its famous library and printing press, where nearly 30,000 engraved Chinese signs were lost, together with service books and the mission archive; the Church of China lost about 1,000 followers either through martyrdom or due to abandonement of the faith.
*1946-49 St. [[John Maximovitch|John (Maximovitch)]], Archbishop of Shanghai and over all the Russian faithful in China.
*1948 St. [[John Maximovitch|John (Maximovitch)]] blessed a revised edition of the 1910 [http://www.orthodox.cn/catechesis/catechpray/index.html Chinese prayer book] of Bishop [[Innocent (Figurovsky) of Beijing|Innokenty (Figurovsky)]], with more catechetical material, compiled by Archpriest [http://www.orthodox.cn/localchurch/beijing/nikolaili_en.htm Nikolai Li Xunyi]; Metr. [[Nestor (Anisimov) of Kamchatka]] was arrested by Chinese authorities and turned over to Soviet authorities who imprisoned him in the Gulag (until 1956), making the see vacant.
*'''1949''' Establishment of the [[w:People's Republic of China|People's Republic of China (PRC)]] in mainland China, by the victorious Communists, who end all Chrisitan Christian missionary work; by this time 106 Orthodox churches had been opened in China, with the parishioners generally being Russian refugees, and the native Chinese element constituting at least 10,000 faithful; until 1949 there were more than 15 Russian Orthodox churches and two cemeteries in [[w:Harbin|Harbin]] alone; treaties were signed between the Soviet and Chinese governments that provided for the turning over of Russian churches to Chinese control; most of the Russians left for Australia, the United States and other places.
*1950 [[Symeon (Du) of Shanghai|Symeon (Du)]] consecrated Bishop of Tianjin in July, becoming the first Chinese Orthodox [[bishop]]. Later, in September, he was transferred to be Bishop of Shanghai (1950-1965).
*1954 East Asia Exarchate (''Diocese of Harbin and East Asia'') abolished by the Moscow Patriarchate.
*1998 300th anniversary of the consecration of the first Orthodox church in China; the [[w:Daqin Pagoda|Daqin Pagoda]] is "rediscovered", the remnant of the earliest surviving Christian church in China, the church and the monastery being built in 640 by early [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]] missionaries.
*1999 The ''Russian-Chinese Orthodox Missionary Society'' is founded in Sydney, Australia, under [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|ROCOR]], with the aim of spiritual enlightenment of the Chinese speaking population of the country.
*2000 Death of Fr. Grigory Zhu in September, leaving the [http://www.orthodox.cn/contemporary/harbin/pokrov_en.htm Protection (Pokrov) of the Theotokos Church] in [[w:Harbin|Harbin]] without a priest; Archimandrite Fr. [[Jonah (Mourtos) of Taipei|Jonah (Mourtos)]] arrived in Taiwan in September to lead the mission of the church there, having spent seventeen years as a monk on [[Mount Athos]]; [http://orthodox.cn/contemporary/xinjiang/yiningnikolai_en.htm St Nicholas Church] is rebuilt by the local government in [[w:Yining|Ghulja (Yining)]], Xinjiang; according to the 2000 census, 30,505 [[w:Evenks|Evenks]] were counted in China, a nominally Orthodox Christian ethnic group (self-identified Orthodox minority in China), living in the [[w:Hulunbuir|Hulunbuir]] region in the north; in December, Abp. Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand visited China on a [[missionary ]] and spiritual trip.
*2001 [[w:2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship|Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship]] is signed by Jiang Zemin and Vladimir Putin.
*2002 A notable improvement in the situation for China's Orthodox may be traced to the installation of Hu Jintao as the country's leader in 2002, according to a Chinese Orthodox source from Shanghai.<ref>Geraldine Fagan. [http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=416 CHINA: Will Orthodox Christians soon be allowed priests?]. ''Forum 18 News'', Oslo, Norway. September 22, 2004.</ref>
*2009 Archpriest [[Georges Florovsky|Georges Florovsky's]] book ''"Christianity and Culture"'' is published in the Chinese language; solemn [[Pascha|Paschal]] night Divine Services took place in several Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong; in Beijing, Divine Services of Passion Week and Holy Pascha were performed by Archpriest [[Dionisy (Pozdnyaev)]] ([[Church of Russia|MP]]) and Fr. Alexis Dyuka ([[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|ROCOR]]) in the house church of St. Innocent of Irkutsk (Red Fangzi) on the territory of the Russian Embassy; Patr. [[Kyrill I (Gundyayev) of Moscow|Kirill]] met with Ye Xiaowen, China’s Religious Affairs minister, in trying to breathe new life into China’s Orthodox Church.<ref>AsiaNews.it [http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=14464&size=A Patriarch Kirill meets Ye Xiaowen, China’s Religious Affairs minister]. ''AsiaNewst.it'', February 12. 2009.</ref>; the Church of St. Innokenty of Irkutsk was consecrated on Sunday [[August 30]] in Labdarin (Inner Mongolia), being the first Orthodox Church consecrated in mainland China in over 50 years, mainly for Russian descendants;<ref>Interfax-Religion. ''[http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6397 Orthodox Church consecrated in China for first time in 50 years].'' 31 August, 2009.</ref> Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the newly consecrated church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin, on the territory of Russian Federation Embassy in Beijing; <ref>The Voice of Russia. ''[http://english.ruvr.ru/2009/10/13/2025847.html First Russian Orthodox church opens in Beijing].'' Oct 13, 2009 15:20 Moscow Time.</ref> Abp. [[Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk]], chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's DECR, visited Beijing to hold talks with officials of the State Administration for Religious Affairs aimed at developing Russian-Chinese exchanges and cooperation in the religious sphere.
*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 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>
*2014 Metropolitan Ignaty of Khabarovsk and Amur ordained Anatoly Kung (Kung Cheung Ming, 龔長明) to the priesthood for Hong Kong's Orthodox church, being the first Chinese priest ordained in 60 years.<ref>''[http://orthodox.cn/contemporary/hongkong/20141208hkpriesthood_en.htm For the first time in 60 years a Chinese priest is ordained for Hong Kong's Orthodox church].'' Transl. Nina Tkachuk Dimas. Orthodoxy in China. December 8, 2014.</ref>
==Presence of Orthodox Communities in China==